Nominee for Prime Minister, Kim Min-seok, said on the 10th, "I've been thinking for a long time that Korea-Japan relations are much more important than the public generally perceives," and "In future negotiations on tariffs with the U.S. and in pioneering paths for Korea's economy, relations with Japan will be very important."
At a press conference held at the Financial Supervisory Service training center in Tongui-dong, Seoul, where his office was set up, nominee Kim said, "The new president and government are considering the constitutional and historical principles that we cannot concede, alongside the diplomatic consistency that both countries have accumulated, as very important."
Nominee Kim explained his vision for Korea-Japan relations and disclosed that he had a phone conversation with Kono Taro, former Japanese foreign minister, on the day of his nomination. Taro is the son of Kono Yohei, the former foreign minister who first acknowledged the comfort women issue with the "Kono Statement." Nominee Kim and Kono Taro are known to have maintained a long-standing friendship.
Nominee Kim conveyed the content of the call, saying, "He (Kono Taro, former foreign minister) somehow immediately knew and congratulated me over the phone. I received the call in front of the president," and added, "He positively evaluated the president's expression of placing importance on diplomatic consistency regarding Korea-Japan relations, showing interest."
He continued, "I have maintained interest and exchanges relatively with the U.S. and the Trump administration, Japan, China, and others. I have also given some thought to what sort of diplomatic relations and policies would be correct to realize Korea's national interests," adding, "If I become prime minister, I will do my best from the prime minister's position."