On the 30th in Busan, President Lee Jae-myung met with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and said, "It would be good to establish shuttle diplomacy so that we can come and go between Korea and Japan at any time and pledge our joint development." It has been a little over a month since President Lee visited Japan last month and met Ishiba. Ishiba, who will step down after the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election in early next month, said, "It would be good if we work to produce results from shuttle diplomacy by cooperating more closely and traveling more frequently than with any other country."
This was the third meeting between the two leaders since President Lee took office. Starting with the G7 (Group of Seven) summit held in Canada in June, followed by last month's Tokyo summit, the Japanese leader has in effect made a "return visit." The decision to hold the talks in Busan came in response to President Lee's proposal, to which Prime Minister Ishiba agreed. At the Tokyo summit, the two leaders agreed on the need to "resolve imbalances and develop the regions," and to put that into practice, they proposed meeting outside Seoul.
In his opening remarks, President Lee first mentioned "Ishiba curry," calling it "the best." During the Korea-Japan summit dinner on the 23rd of last month, Ishiba served his preferred Ishiba-style curry as the evening menu, which drew attention. President Lee said, "Today's summit is the essence of shuttle diplomacy that only Korea and Japan can do," adding, "The time it took me to ride a dedicated train down from Seoul was similar to, or perhaps even shorter than, the time the prime minister flew from Japan to Busan."
After highlighting the policy of easing concentration in the capital area and promoting balanced regional development, he said, "Korea and Japan face similar challenges in many respects," and added, "In particular, the prime minister's strong interest in balanced regional development and local development is so very much like mine." He also said, "I hope we will build a very close Korea-Japan relationship that goes beyond social and economic issues to include security issues and, further, emotional rapport," and added, "I hope today's talks will be positioned as a cornerstone for creating a new Korea-Japan relationship."
◇ Before the talks, paid respects at the grave of the late Lee Soo-hyun… "Pledge of joint development"
Prime Minister Ishiba said, "From my hometown, it would take only one hour (to Busan)," adding, "Busan is also where the Joseon Tongsinsa departed for Japan. The Joseon Tongsinsa was a force for active people-to-people exchanges, and how good would it be if the two countries could find common interests and push ahead with cooperation in a grave environment."
He said, "Let us share our wisdom and experiences to solve common social problems such as population decline, low birthrate and aging, concentration in the capital area, and the low self-sufficiency rates of agriculture and marine products, as well as energy," adding, "I also hope the bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Committee will resume." He also said, "I hope the two countries will cooperate more closely and exchange more frequently than with any other country to achieve results through shuttle diplomacy."
Before the summit that day, Prime Minister Ishiba visited the grave of the late Lee Soo-hyun at Yeongnak Park in Geumjeong District, Busan, to lay flowers and pay his respects. Lee died in Jan. 2001 while studying in Japan, after he tried to save a Japanese person who had fallen onto the tracks at Shin-Okubo Station in Tokyo. Ishiba is the first sitting Japanese prime minister to visit Lee's grave. He said, "I respect the noble will and boundless love to give one's life for others."