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| ▲ South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) poses for a photo with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of their pull-aside meeting held on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in this Nov. 23, 2025, file photo. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of their talks in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, southeastern South Korea, in this Oct. 30, 2025, file photo. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) Lee-Japan-summit
(2nd LD) Lee to visit Japan's Nara next week for summit with Takaichi
(ATTN: ADDS comments from top security adviser; RECASTS headline, first 2 paras)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung will make a two-day visit to Japan's Nara prefecture next week for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.
Lee is scheduled to depart for Japan next Tuesday for the summit talks, which will be held in the Japanese prefecture of Nara, Takaichi's hometown, Cheong Wa Dae said. The planned summit comes as Lee held summit talks in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday.
The two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of regional and global issues, as well as the economy, society and culture, Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.
Lee and Takaichi last held summit talks on Oct. 30 on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju and briefly met on the margins of the Group of 20 leaders' gathering in South Africa in November.
Lee will attend a friendship event with Takaichi next Wednesday and meet with ethnic Koreans in Japan before returning home that day.
The trip will mark Lee's second visit to the neighboring country after he visited Tokyo in August and held summit talks with Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba.
The upcoming visit is expected to help strengthen the future-oriented momentum of bilateral ties through "shuttle diplomacy," or reciprocal visits, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
In a press briefing, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said he expects the two leaders to deepen their mutual trust through the regular exchanges, while expanding cooperation in future industries such as artificial intelligence.
Wi also voiced hope that the summit will serve as an opportunity to bolster humanitarian cooperation to resolve historical issues, including over the recovery of remains from the Chosei undersea coal mine in Japan's western Yamaguchi Prefecture, where a devastating flood in 1942 killed 136 Koreans who had been forcibly mobilized.
The South Korean and Japanese governments are reportedly in communication at the working level on DNA analysis of the remains found at the site.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss ways to step up cooperation on regional and global issues, including North Korea, according to Wi.
Lee has said he intends to advance ties with Japan in a future-oriented manner, while not overlooking longstanding wartime history issues stemming from the time when Korea was under Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
The planned summit between Lee and Takaichi comes as tensions between Tokyo and Beijing remained heightened over the Japanese prime minister's remarks about Taiwan.
(END)
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