President Lee Jae-myung will visit Japan from the 23rd to the 24th to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This meeting comes before the South Korea-U.S. summit scheduled for the 25th.
Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong noted during a briefing at the Presidential Office building that "President Lee is scheduled to visit Japan from Aug. 23 to 24 to hold a South Korea-Japan summit and dinner with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba before his trip to the U.S."
Spokesperson Kang said, "The two leaders agreed in June to promptly resume shuttle diplomacy" and expressed hope that "this visit to Japan will further deepen the personal bond and trust between the two leaders."
She added, "Through the talks, the South Korean and Japanese leaders will solidify the foundation for future-oriented cooperation between the two countries and openly exchange views on strengthening South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation as well as regional peace and stability, and regional and global issues."
President Lee is expected to depart for the U.S. after completing the South Korea-Japan summit and dinner on the 23rd for the South Korea-U.S. summit on the 24th.
The South Korea-Japan summit is also expected to address issues such as the easing of Japan's import restrictions on seafood. Recently, Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi visited South Korea and reportedly urged South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin to lift the import restrictions on Japanese seafood. Spokesperson Kang said, "The agenda for the summit has not yet been finalized," adding, "Easing the seafood import restrictions is of interest to Japan. We will respond appropriately from our basic stance."
Meanwhile, with President Lee's confirmed visits to the U.S. and Japan, the plan to dispatch special envoys to the U.S. and Japan, which was under consideration for the summit meeting, has been scrapped.