President Lee Jae-myung met with former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on the 30th, expressing, "We are like neighbors, and I sincerely hope that Korea and Japan develop into a good relationship that is mutually beneficial and future-oriented," while discussing ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
That afternoon, President Lee welcomed former Prime Minister Suga and his entourage at the Seoul Yongsan Presidential Office, stating, "I am glad that the respect and goodwill between us are increasing significantly." He added, "The relationship between the Japanese and Korean people, as well as between the Korean government and the Japanese government, should also improve," and remarked that "If exchanges and cooperation between the members expand, it will greatly help the development of the relationship."
In attendance at the meeting were not only former Prime Minister Suga but also Akihisa Nagashima, secretary-general of the Japan-Korea Diet Members' Alliance, Gensuke Onishi, chairman of the council, and Koichi Mizushima, Japan's ambassador to Korea. Representing Korea were Joo Ho-young, head of the People Power Party, Min Hong-cheol, the Democratic Party of Korea's secretary-general, Kang Hoon, the chief of staff to the president, and Wi Seong-lak, the head of the National Security Office.
Former Prime Minister Suga agreed with President Lee's remarks, stating, "Diet members from the Japan-Korea Diet Members' Alliance and the Japan-Korea Parliamentary Alliance are also working hard for friendly development, and we want to ensure that both Japan and Korea can walk a safe and secure path together." He added, "As president of the Japan-Korea Diet Members' Alliance, I would like to work with the Japan-Korea Parliamentary Alliance to deepen understanding of the Japan-Korea relationship between our countries."
According to Kyodo News, former Prime Minister Suga conveyed to President Lee a message from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressing hope for an early visit to Japan by President Lee and the revitalization of shuttle diplomacy.
Kang Yoo-jung, the spokesperson for the presidential office, reported that "President Lee and former Prime Minister Suga agreed to maintain close communication across various sectors so that both countries can enhance their national interests amid serious international circumstances." Regarding whether former Prime Minister Suga made comments related to the U.S. tariff negotiations, she stated, "There were no sensitive discussions about tariffs; rather, it was a gathering where warm diplomatic talks were exchanged."
Spokesperson Kang mentioned, regarding President Lee's visit to Japan, "We spoke about it with Prime Minister Ishiba at the Group of Seven (G7) summit, but we discussed the difficulties in realistically resuming shuttle diplomacy given that the Japanese House of Councilors election has concluded," and added, "I think there will soon be exchanges between the two sides."