U.S. will continue to strengthen cooperation with S. Korea, Japan: State Dept.

Diplomacy 04:51 March 07, 2023

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Yonhap) -- The United States will continue to strengthen its trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, a state department spokesperson said Monday, shortly after Seoul and Tokyo announced steps aimed at improving their bilateral ties.

Department Press Secretary Ned Price said the U.S. welcomes the "historic" steps taken by the two U.S. allies.

"The United States welcomes the historic announcement that bilateral discussions between the Republic of Korea and Japan to resolve sensitive historical issues have concluded," Price told a daily press briefing, referring to South Korea by its official name.

"The Republic of Korea and Japan are two of our most important allies in the Indo Pacific and globally, and stronger ties between them advance our own shared goals," he added.

Seoul-Tokyo relations have remained sour for several years due to a range of historical issues, including forced laborers and sex slaves.

Seoul on Monday (Korea time) announced plans to establish a private fund that will help compensate Koreans forced into labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.

Japan said it will soon remove export restrictions it had placed against South Korea in 2019.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier hailed the announcements by Seoul and Tokyo, calling them the "most important allies" of the U.S. in a released statement.