Japan, South Korea PMs affirm cooperation over North Korea

This photo taken on September 27, 2024, shows Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and now Japanese prime minister. —Photo by JIJI Press through Agence France-Presse

TOKYO, Dec. 19 — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his South Korean counterpart, Han Duk-soo, agreed Thursday to cooperate over North Korean affairs, in their first talks, held over the phone, since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached earlier this month.

Han has been standing in for Yoon after the president was suspended from duties following his impeachment Saturday.

In the 20-minute phone talks, Ishiba and Han agreed that Japan and South Korea will maintain and further develop their relations, and keep in close communication.

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They reconfirmed the significance of maintaining close cooperation between Japan and South Korea and among the two plus the United States over matters including North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.

Han emphasized that his nation’s basic policy to continue developing its relations with Japan remains unchanged.

Ishiba and Han agreed to advance preparations for exchange programs scheduled for next year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of the two nations’ diplomatic relations. They shared the view that these programs are important for the future of the two countries and their people.

“The significance of Japan-South Korea ties has not changed at all,” Ishiba told reporters after the phone talks.

“We hope to boost cooperation in various fields,” he added.