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Kim Tae-hyo, deputy national security advisor for the presidential office, gives a briefing on Sept. 15 regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol’s upcoming trip to the UK, US and Canada. (presidential office pool photo)

South Korea’s presidential office said that the leaders of Korea and Japan would hold a summit on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly, which will commence in New York on Tuesday, but the Japanese government would only say that it had “made no decisions” as of the present.

“We’re coordinating the time for separate summits with the US and Japan that we’ve already agreed to hold. We expect these to be focused bilateral summits that will only last for 30 minutes or so because of the tight schedule,” said Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of Korea’s National Security Office, in a briefing about Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s tour of the UK, the US and Canada (Sept. 18-24) that was held on Thursday at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul.

If Korea and Japan hold a summit, it will be their first since December 2019, two years and nine months ago. Yoon’s last summit with US President Joe Biden was in May, four months ago.

The presidential office underlined that Korea and Japan have been briskly preparing for Yoon’s first summit with the Japanese prime minister.

“Both sides gladly agreed to a meeting. In regard to pending issues between us, including the issue of forced conscription [during the Japanese colonial period], Korea is working on its own processes while remaining in close communication with Japan. That means the two leaders can meet without needing to suddenly check [on that process],” said a senior official in the presidential office.

The official added that the Korea-US summit would be an opportunity for Yoon and Biden to identify and reach an understanding on the details of “action plans that related ministries have developed since the previous summit.”

But Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, said in the daily press briefing on Thursday afternoon that the exact schedule of the Korea-Japan summit hasn’t been decided yet. All Matsuno would say is that Japan plans to cooperate closely with the Korean government to improve relations.

On a related topic, Yoon intends to emphasize Korea’s intention to contribute to the international community in a wide range of — including public health, climate, supply chains, digital technology, and culture — in his debut speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 20.

“The three keywords that encapsulate his whole trip are liberal solidarity, economic security and contribution diplomacy,” said a high-ranking official in the presidential office.

Yoon will be holding a summit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada during his trip to the North American country on Sept. 23.

First lady Kim Keon-hee will be accompanying her husband at a number of events, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, a reception hosted by Biden, and a meeting with the local Korean community.

By Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]