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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pose for a photo during their visit to Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, Japan, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi tour Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, Japan, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Lee-Japan
(LEAD) Lee, Takaichi visit ancient temple in Japan's Nara
(ATTN: UPDATES with visit, photos; RECASTS headline)
By Kim Eun-jung
NARA, Japan, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited an ancient Japanese temple in Nara on Wednesday, in a rare joint sightseeing trip that highlighted deep-rooted cultural exchanges between the two nations.
Lee and Takaichi toured Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, which contains some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings, as part of a diplomatic event arranged to build their rapport on the second day of Lee's visit to Japan.
The architecture is known to have been influenced by the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje, which ruled the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula from 18 B.C. to A.D. 660.
The temple was designated as Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 and houses the "Baekje Kannon," also known as the Kudara Kannon, a wooden statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion and a designated cultural treasure.
The two leaders met in Nara as Lee proposed holding their next talks in Takaichi's hometown and constituency during their first meeting in the ancient South Korean city of Gyeongju in late October on the sidelines of the APEC summit.
It marked the first time in 15 years that a South Korean president has visited a city outside of Tokyo for bilateral summit talks with a Japanese prime minister.
Later in the day, Lee will meet with Korean residents in Japan's Kansai region before returning home.
On the first day of his two-day visit, Lee held summit talks with Takaichi. It marked Lee's fifth summit with a Japanese prime minister since taking office in June 2025 and his second summit with Takaichi since her inauguration last October.
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