SEOUL, Jan 13 (IANS) The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan met on Monday for talks expected to focus on sustaining positive momentum in bilateral relations and advancing trilateral cooperation with the United States, ahead of the launch of the second Donald Trump administration.
The talks marked the first one-on-one meeting between Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya since South Korea became embroiled in the political crisis following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his short-lived martial law imposition.
They were to hold a joint press conference following the talks, and Cho will host a dinner banquet for Iwaya and his delegation.
Before meeting with Cho, Iwaya visited Seoul National Cemetery to pay his respects and met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to discuss bilateral relations.
Iwaya’s two-day trip to Seoul marks the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister in nearly seven years. He was expected to pay a courtesy call on acting President Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday.
Monday’s talks were expected to focus on reaffirming their commitment to trilateral cooperation with the US, their mutual ally, as Trump’s second term, set to start January 20, raises uncertainties about the future of the three-way partnership given his reluctance toward multilateralism.
The historic Camp David trilateral summit took place in August 2023 with the leaders of the three countries, but both Washington and Tokyo now have new leaders, while Seoul is currently led by an acting president.
On bilateral relations, the ministers will likely discuss efforts to keep positive momentum alive for the ties that have significantly improved since Yoon came into office.
In March last year, Yoon announced a decision that South Korea will compensate its victims of Japan’s wartime forced labour without contributions from responsible Japanese companies.
His decision has led to the resumption of “shuttle diplomacy,” or regular visits by the two countries’ leaders, and exchanges at both the government and private sector levels, Yonhap news agency reported.
The two sides were also expected to reaffirm their commitment to preparing for the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of bilateral relations this year, regardless of the political situation in South Korea.
The ministers were likely to discuss efforts to facilitate an envisioned trilateral summit involving China. Japan is the host for this year’s three-way meeting.
Iwaya’s visit, following outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Seoul last week, can be seen as reinforcing South Korea’s national stability despite the political turmoil.
Japan, along with the United States, has expressed confidence in South Korea and its democratic process.
Cho and Iwaya last held talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru last November.
Iwaya is on a four-day tour this week that will also take him to the Philippines and Palau.
–IANS
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