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| ▲ This photo, provided by South Korea's foreign ministry on Nov. 15, 2024, shows Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) and his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, meeting on the margins of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 14, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (L) talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Vientiane, Laos, on July 26, 2024, as both held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a series of multilateral gatherings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
S Korea-diplomatic talks
S. Korea, Japan seek foreign ministers' meeting early next year despite political turmoil
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Japan are seeking to hold a meeting of their foreign ministers early next year, diplomatic sources said Saturday, amid concerns about the impact on diplomacy amid political turmoil triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law bid.
Separately, Japan is also said to pursue a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers with South Korea and China in early February as part of its preparation for a three-way summit of their leaders.
South Korea and Japan are in talks to hold a meeting between Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, in Seoul in mid-January, according to the sources.
The meeting, if finalized, is expected to be an occasion to reaffirm the two nations' commitment to bolstering cooperation even under the active presidency system in South Korea.
They are also expected to discuss ways to prepare for events to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, and highlight the importance of trilateral cooperation involving the United States to jointly respond to North Korean threats, the sources said.
A political crisis in South Korea is feared to deepen after the opposition-led National Assembly on Friday impeached acting President Han Duck-soo less than two weeks after Yoon was impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law earlier this month.
It marked the first time in Korean history that an acting president has been impeached, raising concerns that unprecedented political turmoil could hurt diplomatic activity and rattle financial markets.
Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, meanwhile, reported Friday that Tokyo has kicked off a consultation with Seoul and Beijing to hold trilateral talks among their top diplomats in Japan in early February.
Japan initially wanted to host a summit of the leaders of the three nations in the spring of 2025, but South Korea's political situation is making it hard to predict the timing, the newspaper said.
In October, senior diplomats of the three nations agreed to hold talks of leaders as well as foreign ministers at "the earliest possible and mutually convenient time."
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