Photo : YONHAP News
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held their first summit on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) summit in Laos.
Yoon said he hopes to continue to advance Seoul-Tokyo ties through active shuttle diplomacy and close communication with Ishiba as he had with his predecessor Fumio Kishida.
While congratulating Ishiba on his inauguration, Yoon said bilateral relations have witnessed positive and significant progress since he visited Tokyo in March of last year. He assessed that such change was possible due to unwavering trust between the leaders of the two countries.
Citing that next year South Korea and Japan will mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties, Yoon expressed hope they will work closely to present a hopeful vision for bilateral relations and to ensure that their people see a palpable progress in bilateral ties.
Thanking Yoon for his congratulatory words, Ishiba stressed that close cooperation between their countries is crucial for peace and stability in the region amid the present strategic climate.
Ishiba said he plans to inherit and advance Seoul-Tokyo ties which had improved greatly thanks to Yoon and Kishida before expressing hope to closely work with Yoon via shuttle diplomacy.