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The policy consultation envoy, led by Rep. Chung Jin-suk (center), sent by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol to Japan speaks to reporters after arriving at Narita International Airport on April 24. (Yonhap News)

A delegation sent by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol for policy discussions with Tokyo departed on Sunday for a five-day visit to Japan.

Many are now watching to see whether the delegation will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The delegation departed for Japan from Incheon International Airport on Sunday with a letter from Yoon, who is hoping to improve and restore relations between Seoul and Tokyo.

Japan is the second country where Yoon has sent a delegation for policy discussions, after the US.

Shortly after arriving in Japan, the delegation’s leader, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Chung Jin-suk, was asked by reporters about the content of Yoon’s letter.

“I imagine it’s a letter expressing President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s commitment to and expectations of a new relationship between South Korea and Japan and his hope for a positive response from Japan,” he replied.

Before departing Korea, Chung had said that Yoon “views it as aligning with our national interest to improve and normalize South Korea-Japan relations, which have been left in the worst state of neglect.”

“I intend to express the president-elect’s commitment to working hard for the swift improvement and restoration of South Korea-Japan relations after this long period of neglect, and for the shared interests of both countries,” he added.

The delegation’s visit to Japan comes at a time when the two sides have been sharply at odds over issues related to their shared history, including survivors of wartime sexual slavery by the Japanese military and forced labor mobilization. Particular interest is focusing on whether headway can be made on discussions toward resuming summits between the countries’ leaders, which have not taken place for some time.

The delegation is reportedly working to coordinate a meeting with Kishida in connection with this on Wednesday. If the meeting with the prime minister does take place, it could also include discussions on whether Kishida will attend Yoon’s inauguration ceremony.

When asked about the possibility of a meeting with Kishida, Chung said the delegation was “awaiting an answer.”

The Nikkei newspaper reported that the South Korean delegation was “requesting a meeting with the prime minister,” adding that the Japanese government planned to “make a final decision after observing the mood in South Korea.”

The delegation kicked off its itinerary by paying respects to Lee Soo-hyun, a South Korean student who gave his life while attempting to rescue a Japanese man from being hit by a train in 2001. Bae Hyun-jin, a spokesperson for Yoon, said in a briefing Sunday that the delegation had made it “the first item on our itinerary so as not to forget the noble sacrifice made by the late Lee Soo-hyun.”

“This will be an occasion for reinforcing our commitment to a first step in thawing the chill in our relationship in order to reflect on the wishes of the deceased, who earnestly hoped to see friendship between South Korea and Japan,” she added.

The delegation was scheduled to meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Monday. With a dinner also planned for that evening, some observers were predicting in-depth discussions not only on ideas for cooperation to improve relations, but also on pressing issues such as the “comfort women” and forced labor survivors.

In connection with the liquidation of assets to compensate victims of forced labor, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that some in Yoon’s circle were considering approaches such as former National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang’s idea of having both South Korea and Japan raise donations to cover compensation of the plaintiffs, or South Korea’s payment of the compensation from its own budget.

At the same time, the newspaper noted, “Because it would be a major blow to Yoon’s administration if [this approach] were viewed publicly as a unilateral concession, presidential transition committee officials are stressing the need for efforts from Japan to resolve the issue, including the expression of a message of apology.”

Tokyo is expected to stick to its existing position that the issues in question were resolved by the Claims Settlement Agreement reached between South Korea and Japan in 1965 and the intergovernmental comfort women agreement of 2015.

During the visit, the delegation plans to start by addressing the issues that can be resolved relatively easily for the sake of improving bilateral relations. Sources reported that it intends to hold discussions with Japan on resuming airline service between Gimpo and Haneda airports and visa-free entry between South Korea and Japan, which have been suspended since Japan’s institution of COVID-19-related entry restriction measures in March 2020.

Analysts suggested that influence from the US government may have played a part in Yoon sending a policy discussion delegation to Japan ahead of schedule.

Quoting a foreign affairs source, the Asahi Shimbun reported, “Minister of foreign affairs nominee Park Jin made a request to the US that President Joe Biden visit South Korea before traveling to Japan in late May, and the US apparently sent the message that it was coordinating matters along those lines.”

“In exchange, the US asked for South Korea to do its best to improve relations with Japan, after which President-elect Yoon ordered the delegation to be dispatched,” the newspaper continued.

By Jang Na-rye, staff reporter; Kim So-youn, Tokyo correspondent

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