<article>Presidential Office: "No Change in Position on Korea-Japan Summit During UN General Assembly"</article>

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[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The Presidential Office stated on the 18th that there is no change in the content that it has agreed with Japan to hold a Korea-Japan summit meeting on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly to be held this week in New York, USA.

A Presidential Office official told Asia Economy on the same day, in response to a question about whether the South Korean government's position remains unchanged regarding the Korea-Japan summit scheduled during the UN General Assembly, "Yes," adding, "There is no change in the position that it is under coordination. Specific details are expected to be further explained locally."

Earlier, the Presidential Office announced on the 15th that President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had agreed to hold a summit meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly scheduled for the 20th to 21st, and that specific schedules are being coordinated.

However, it denied the Japanese media reports on the same day that viewed the possibility of holding the Korea-Japan summit as uncertain. The Sankei Shimbun, known for its hardline conservative stance, reported on the same day that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested to the Korean side, saying, "Please refrain from announcements not based on facts," regarding such an announcement.

The Mainichi Shimbun also reported that after the Presidential Office's announcement, there was a backlash from the Japanese government calling it "groundless," and stated, "The realization of the (summit) is uncertain as the Japanese side does not change its cautious stance." Usually, when a summit meeting is confirmed, it is customary for both countries to announce it simultaneously.

However, both media outlets did not rule out the possibility that the Korea-Japan leaders might meet in a 'poolside' format, which refers to an informal meeting outside the official conference venue on the sidelines of a multilateral meeting.

Even if the Japanese side judges that the Presidential Office's announcement of the summit agreement was uncoordinated, there is widespread speculation that the two leaders will hold talks at the UN. This is because President Yoon has expressed his willingness to improve Korea-Japan relations, making it difficult for Japan to reject it.

The fact that the two countries are finalizing arrangements for a meeting between Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi at this UN General Assembly is also seen as behind-the-scenes work for holding the summit.

JNN, a Japanese private broadcasting network, reported on the 16th that the Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting is understood to be held in New York on the 19th. The foreign ministers' meeting is expected to coordinate bilateral issues such as the forced labor compensation problem in advance.

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