During their much-awaited summit on Thursday, Japan and South Korea agreed for the “complete normalisation” of relations and resumption of regular visits between leaders, bringing an end to their long-standing disputes since World War II.
New Changes
In addition to reviving regular bilateral visits, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to restart their security dialogue, which was suspended in 2018.
The leaders also announced the resumption of an intelligence-sharing pact, known as GSOMIA, which South Korea had threatened to leave in 2019.
Moreover, they declared an end to their trade disputes, which have been ongoing for almost four years now, over some high-tech materials used for semiconductors.
Necessity for Normalisation
The leaders of Japan and South Korea promised to turn the page on years of animosity at a meeting, putting aside their difficult, shared history and pledging to work together to counter regional security challenges https://t.co/0brRHKDgB2 pic.twitter.com/5B7pLOhhc3
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 16, 2023
Following the talks, Kishida told reporters during a joint press conference with Yoon that strengthening bilateral ties in the “current strategic environment” was “urgent.”
“I hope this visit will nurture trust and friendship and significantly elevate Japan-South Korea relations.”
Meanwhile, Yoon noted that Thursday’s “special meeting” aimed to let their respective citizens “know that South Korea-Japan relations, which have gone through difficult times due to various pending issues, are at a new starting point.”
North Korea
Yoon also brought up the “grave threat” posed to international peace and security by North Korea’s continuous missile launches.
“South Korea’s interests are not zero-sum with Japan’s interests. Better bilateral relations would “greatly help both countries deal with their security crises,” he said. “Korea and Japan must closely cooperate in solidarity to wisely deal with these illegal threats.”
North Korea said that it had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile to coincide with the South Korea-Japan meeting on Thursday to “strike fear into the enemies.”