President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting Canada to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit, met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the 17th (local time) and noted that they agreed to continue and develop collaboration among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan regarding responses to geopolitical crises, including the North Korean issue, and to deepen cooperation between South Korea and Japan, according to the Presidential Office.
On that day, President Lee held a summit with Prime Minister Ishiba from 3:30 p.m. for about 30 minutes in Canmore, Canada, where the G7 summit was being held. The two leaders exchanged views on ways to maintain regional peace and stability and maximize national interests amid rapidly changing international circumstances, promising to seek closer cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan and to deepen cooperation between South Korea and Japan.
The two leaders remarked on the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan this year, saying, “Let us create a more solid and mature foundation for South Korea-Japan relations.” They also stated, “In order to develop South Korea-Japan relations based on mutual respect and trust, let us continue to engage in more active dialogues between our authorities” and added, “Let us continue to discuss cooperation measures to promote mutual national interests in various fields, including the economy and culture.”
The Presidential Office reported, “The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to resuming 'shuttle diplomacy' following their phone conversation on the 9th (Korean time) and decided to advance discussions between their authorities for this purpose.”