(Gyeongju = Yonhap News) Reporters Lim Hyeong-seop, Lee Sang-hyeon, and Hwang Yun-gi = President Lee Jae-myung held a summit meeting with newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was visiting Korea on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Gyeongju on the 30th.
This meeting, the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Prime Minister Takaichi took office nine days ago, took place at the Hwabaek Convention Center in Gyeongju for 41 minutes, starting at 6:02 p.m.
The president first said,"Amidst the rapidly changing international situation and trade environment, Korea and Japan, neighboring countries with much in common, must strengthen future-oriented cooperation more than ever."
The president said,"Our two countries truly have much in common," and added,"If we share our experiences and cooperate, we will be able to successfully resolve not only domestic but also international issues."
He continued,"I heard that Prime Minister Takaichi said at his inauguration press conference last week, 'Korea is a very important neighbor to Japan, and I want to develop Korea-Japan relations in a future-oriented and stable manner. ' I completely agree. Not only that, but surprisingly, it is exactly the same as what I usually say," drawing laughter from the attendees.
He also said,"I heard that this is the first female prime minister election in Japanese history, and we also attach special significance to this. I sincerely congratulate you," and added,"I hope that today's event will be a good opportunity to reaffirm the deep ties between Korea and Japan and continue that relationship into the future."
Prime Minister Takaichi responded,"I am convinced that it is beneficial for both countries to develop bilateral relations in a future-oriented and stable manner based on the foundation of Japan-Korea relations that have been built so far."
He emphasized,"This year is a great and monumental year, the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea," and "Japan and South Korea are important neighbors to each other," adding,"In the current strategic environment, the importance of cooperation between Japan, South Korea, and the United States (three countries) is increasing."
In particular, he said,"I hope that we can make good use of shuttle diplomacy and communicate well between the President and I," and added,"Foreign Minister Motegi is here today, but I hope that we can develop this by communicating well at various levels."
