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South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin poses for a photo with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo, Japan, on July 19. (courtesy MOFA)

Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at his official residence in Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin conveyed President Yoon Suk-yeol’s strong commitment to improving bilateral relations.

Speaking with reporters after a 20-minute meeting with Kishida that had begun at 2:15 pm that day, Park said he had “relayed a message from President Yoon to Prime Minister Kishida.”

Yoon had Park communicate the message that over the course of his several meetings with Kishida during a recent NATO summit in Spain, the South Korean president had “firmly come to believe that [Kishida] is a trustworthy partner with whom I can work to develop South Korea and Japan’s relationship into one of friendship and cooperation.”

Yoon also indicated that he was “looking forward to the trends of improvement and restoration of bilateral relations gaining further momentum” with Park’s visit to Japan. He further signaled his hope to “communicate and cooperate closely” with Kishida.

Park additionally told Kishida that he hoped his visit would lay the groundwork for the restoration of shuttle diplomacy between the two sides’ leaders.

In response, Kishida said he appreciated Yoon’s message, adding that he had had “good dialogue” with Yoon at the summit in Madrid and that he “looks forward to dialogue continuing in the future,” Park reported.

Park also requested that Japan take action in connection with the issue of compensation to survivors of forced labor during Japan’s colonization of Korea.

Explaining to Kishida that Seoul intended to “work to find an appropriate course of action before liquidation of [the assets] of Japanese companies” following their defeat in litigation over the issue of forced labor mobilization, he indicated that he “looks forward to Japan responding in good faith” to achieve that.

With regard to the agreement reached in December 2015 by the two governments on the issue of sexual slavery by the Japanese military, Park said he told Kishida that it “must be respected as a formal agreement between two governments” and that he “hopes the matter can be resolved appropriately according to the spirit of the agreement.”

By Kim So-youn, Tokyo correspondent

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