South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will travel to Japan on Thursday and Friday next week to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the first time in 12 years that a South Korean president has visited the islands.
The last recorded official visit was in 2011 when Lee Myung Bak was president of South Korea. Although former President Moon Jae In traveled to Osaka in 2019, that visit was part of a G20 summit and is not considered a bilateral visit.
The meeting between Yoon and Kishida comes after Seoul and Tokyo agreed a few days ago to compensate victims of forced labor during the colonial era with donations, according to Yonhap news agency.
»The visit will become an important milestone for the improvement and development of relations between South Korea and Japan,» stressed the South Korean presidency in a statement where it has stressed »expanding cooperation in various areas» such as security, economy or culture.
Relations between the two nations had deteriorated significantly after the South Korean Supreme Court ordered in 2018 two Japanese firms to compensate victims of the colonial era.
Therefore, South Korea’s recent decision to compensate victims without Japan’s involvement has been interpreted by Tokyo as a sign of Yoon’s strong commitment to improving bilateral relations amid notable challenges, such as North Korea’s nuclear threat.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
