Reporter Kayla Lee

During his visit to Lithuania to attend the NATO Summit, President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan for about 30 minutes on July 12 (local time).

The two leaders evaluated the efforts to improve bilateral relations, including the restoration of shuttle diplomacy after 12 years, through mutual visits between Seoul and Tokyo in the first half of this year, and agreed to continue efforts to further develop bilateral cooperation in a future-oriented manner.

To achieve this, the two leaders agreed to actively utilize government and private sector channels of consultation, and to resume the High-Level Economic Consultation between South Korea and Japan (a comprehensive economic dialogue body with the Chief of the Economic Diplomacy Bureau of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chief of the Economic Review Office of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the chief representatives) within this year. 

They also agreed to explore cooperation measures in various areas such as diplomacy, security, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

President Yoon emphasized that the health and safety of the people should be the top priority in relation to the issue of Fukushima contaminated water.

Furthermore, President Yoon mentioned that he respects the announcements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the leading UN organization in the field of nuclear safety, and requested real-time sharing of monitoring information on the entire process of discharge to verify compliance with the plan. He also requested the participation of our experts in the inspection process related to the discharge.

Prime Minister Kishida mentioned the IAEA Comprehensive Report and stated that as the Prime Minister of Japan, he will make utmost efforts to ensure the safety of marine discharge without adversely affecting the health and environment of Japanese and Korean citizens.

He also explained that Japan will undergo review by the IAEA after the commencement of marine discharge and will promptly and transparently publish the monitoring information conducted by Japan. 

If any problems occur, such as the concentration of radioactive substances exceeding the standard, appropriate responses including immediate cessation of discharge according to the plan will be taken.

On July 12, the two leaders emphasized that the long-range ballistic missile launch by North Korea constitutes a significant violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation that exacerbates tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. They strongly condemned it.

The two leaders shared the perception that such nuclear and missile provocations by North Korea seriously undermine regional and global peace and agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

They welcomed the proposal from the United States regarding the trilateral summit meeting of South Korea, the United States, and Japan, which will be a groundbreaking milestone for trilateral security cooperation.

The two leaders expressed empathy for the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific region and agreed to continue solidarity in the pursuit of South Korea's "Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Strategy" and Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" concept.

They also agreed to continue efforts by both countries to uphold universal values and promote mutual interests in the process of responding to global complex crises.

The two leaders agreed to continue their meetings without constraints, in line with the spirit of shuttle diplomacy, in the second half of the year.