(3rd LD) Yoon, Japan's Kishida to discuss ways to 'normalize' bilateral ties at summit

(ATTN: UPDATES with Kishida's possible visit to Korea in last 2 paras)
By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will talk about ways to "normalize" the bilateral relationship, including through the implementation of Seoul's solution to the issue of wartime forced labor, during their summit in Tokyo this week, his office said Tuesday.

Yoon and Kishida will meet Thursday on the first day of the South Korean president's two-day working visit to Japan, National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han told reporters. The summit will be followed by a dinner.

"The two leaders will discuss normalization measures for the overall South Korea-Japan relationship, including the implementation of the solution to the issue of the forced labor ruling," Kim said during a press briefing at the presidential office.

"I also believe there will be an opportunity to talk about ways to resolve the policy barriers hampering economic cooperation and about deepening the economic cooperation between the two countries," he said.

Relations between the neighboring countries frayed badly after South Korea's Supreme Court ordered two Japanese firms in 2018 -- Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries -- to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during World War II. The Korean Peninsula was under Japan's colonial rule from 1910-45.

Last week, Seoul announced it will compensate the victims through a public foundation supported by donations from South Korean businesses, not the accused Japanese firms, in what was seen as a show of Yoon's strong commitment to improving bilateral relations in the face of common security and economic challenges, including the threat of North Korea's nuclear program.

Japan has long insisted that all reparations stemming from its colonial rule were settled under a 1965 treaty that normalized bilateral ties.

"This visit has the significance of signaling that the South Korea-Japan relationship, which has been strained until now, has entered the normalization stage in earnest," Kim said.

A presidential official held out hope an improved bilateral relationship will help solve an array of pending issues between the two countries.

On the General Security of Military Information Agreement, a military intelligence sharing pact that was initially suspended under the former Moon Jae-in administration before the decision was put on hold, the official said he expects the matter to be "naturally resolved from a formal point of view," as the pact is currently "working well."

The official also anticipated a "natural" solution to a series of interconnected economic issues -- Japan's export restrictions against South Korea, its removal of South Korea from a "white list" of favored trade partners and Seoul's complaint with the World Trade Organization over the export controls -- once progress is made on one of them, though a time lag could exist between them.

Yoon will begin his trip by meeting with Korean residents over lunch. It will be his first visit to Japan since taking office and the first by a South Korean president in nearly four years.

Former President Moon Jae-in visited Osaka in 2019, but that trip was for a summit of the Group of 20 nations, not a bilateral visit.

The last bilateral visit was by former President Lee Myung-bak in December 2011.

On Friday, Yoon plans to meet with members of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union and the Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee, hold a business roundtable over lunch with key business leaders from both countries, and speak to Japanese and South Korean college students at Keio University.

First lady Kim Keon Hee will accompany Yoon on the trip and attend various events, including a meeting with Kishida's wife, Yuko.

"Through the summit and dinner, the two leaders are expected to affirm to each other their commitment to developing the bilateral relationship while building the personal trust between them," Kim, the national security adviser, said.

"The confidence building between President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida is expected to have a positive impact on the friendship and exchanges between the two countries' peoples going forward," he said.

Yoon and Kishida have held bilateral summits on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings. They met during the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September and again during a gathering led by Southeast Asian nations in Cambodia in November.

Late Tuesday, Kyodo News reported Kishida was considering visiting South Korea after hosting the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Hiroshima in May, citing government sources.

The Japanese news media also said the Japanese prime minister was mulling inviting Yoon to the G-7 summit, set to take place from May 19 to 21 in the western city.

hague@yna.co.kr
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