S. Korea, China, Japan may resume three-way summit this year: Seoul official

SEOUL, April 4 (Yonhap) -- A trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan could take place this year if there are no "major obstacles," a senior Seoul foreign ministry official said Tuesday.

The remarks are seen as further raising prospects of the resumption of three-way summit diplomacy following a recent attempt to mend long-strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo.

The official told reporters the ministry was "in consultations with relevant countries" over the summit and added that "positive signals" on the matter were delivered during a recent foreign ministerial meeting between Beijing and Tokyo.

Three-way summits among the regional neighbors, first held in December 2008, were suspended after the eighth gathering held in December 2019 following a dispute between South Korea and Japan over forced labor compensation rulings and the pandemic.

Talks on the need to revive tripartite summit diplomacy have surfaced following a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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