South Korean Prez to pursue 'forward-looking' cooperation with Japan through 'shuttle diplomacy'

Seoul, Aug 15 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday he would pursue "forward-looking, mutually beneficial cooperation" with Japan through active "shuttle diplomacy" while expressing hope that Japan will squarely face up to its history of wartime aggression.

Lee made the remarks in his speech marking the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule as he was set to visit Tokyo for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later this month shortly before a planned summit with US President Donald Trump, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"Guided by the principle of pragmatic, national interest-focused diplomacy, we will seek forward-looking, mutually beneficial cooperation with Japan while holding frequent meetings and frank dialogues through shuttle diplomacy," Lee said.

Marking also the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations, Lee said Seoul and Tokyo should face their painful history and redefine bilateral ties to move forward, describing Japan as "a neighbor across the sea" and "an indispensable partner" in economic development.

"I hope that the Japanese government will squarely face up to our painful history and strive to maintain trust between our two countries," he said.

Lee's two-day visit to Japan on Aug. 23-24 will be an opportunity to deepen personal ties with Ishiba and discuss ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation with the United States, as well as discuss regional peace and stability, the presidential office said.

On Thursday, South Korea's trade minister met with the Japanese ambassador to South Korea to discuss ways to strengthen the countries' economic partnership amid growing uncertainties in the global trade environment, officials said.

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with Amb. Koichi Mizushima in Seoul, as President Lee Jae Myung prepares to visit Japan to hold his first summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba next Saturday.

Yeo highlighted the importance of strengthening practical economic cooperation between the two countries, as South Korea and Japan mark 60 years since the normalisation of diplomatic relations.

The minister also proposed working together to stabilise supply chains and solve trade-related issues in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change.

Further, Yeo proposed fostering communication between the two countries' overseas missions and trade promotion agencies to ensure the successful hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, set to be held in South Korea, and the Osaka Kansai Expo in Japan this year.

--IANS

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