[앵커]
The government is speeding up the restoration of South Korea-Japan relations with the diplomatic condolences of former Prime Minister Abe.
Foreign Minister Park Jin is scheduled to visit Japan today (18th), and it is noteworthy whether a breakthrough will be made for the practical resumption of dialogue between the two countries.
This is reporter Lee Kyo-jun.
[기자]
On the 12th, President Yoon Seok-yeol visited the funeral home of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepared by the Japanese Embassy in Korea to express his condolences.
The government then plans to send a high-level condolence delegation in line with the Japanese government’s funeral schedule.
Prior to this, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin will visit Japan.
It is the first visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Japan in 4 years and 7 months since the end of 2017.
Minister Park is scheduled to hold the first South Korea-Japan ministerial meeting since taking office with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Earlier, Minister Park repeatedly expressed his will to speed up the preparation of a solution to Korea-Japan relations.
[박진 / 외교부 장관 (지난 11일) : 우리 윤석열 정부는 지금 아시다시피 한일관계 개선을 위해서 속도감 있게 노력을 기울일 생각입니다.]
It seems that there are many tasks to be solved, such as historical issues and export restrictions, and the judgment that strengthening cooperation on North Korea’s strategic provocations is urgent is underlying.
In particular, it is a big burden that the time for Japanese companies to turn their domestic assets into cash is approaching following the judgment on compensation for forced labor.
The question is whether the Japanese government will respond.
It was expected that Prime Minister Kishida would be able to demonstrate flexibility in Korea-Japan relations thanks to a landslide victory in the House of Representatives election, but the conservatives within the LDP are still present.
[진창수 / 세종연구소 일본연구센터장 : 일본 정국에서 파벌 이합집산이 시작되기 때문에 아마도 기시다 총리도 이것을 잘 관망하면서 한일관계를 생각해야 될 부분이 있기 때문에 당분간 기존 정책이 유지된다 이렇게 생각이 들어요.]
Attention is gathering whether Minister Park’s visit to Japan will be able to lay the first stepping stone for the resumption of dialogue between the leaders of Korea and Japan, which has been suspended for more than two and a half years.
This is Kyojun Lee from YTN.
YTN Lee Kyo-jun (sj1029@ytn.co.kr)
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