Leaders of Japan and South Korea to agree in Seoul to confront North Korean threats

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are certain to agree in talks later this month to deepen cooperation to address security threats from North Korea. according to reported Kyodo News.

Kishida and Yoon, who are scheduled to meet in Seoul on Sunday on the sidelines of a trilateral summit involving Japan, South Korea and China, are also likely to affirm the need to strengthen their security ties with the United States, the sources said. .

The two leaders, who last met in the United States in November, are making preparations to hold in-person talks amid improving bilateral relations in the wake of South Korea’s announcement in March 2023 of a solution to an old wartime workers’ compensation dispute.

During the talks, Kishida is likely to share with Yoon his concerns about North Korea’s missile launches and development of nuclear weapons, while also seeking Seoul’s support in resolving the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese citizens. part of Pyongyang in the past, the sources said.

Japan and South Korea will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations next year, and the leaders will agree to maintain close communication and boost exchanges in political, business and cultural fields, they added.

Choi Eun-soon, mother-in-law of President Yoon Suk Yeol, provisionally released

The Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoko Kamikawa, reaffirmed on Wednesday with his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae Yul, that their countries will work together with a view to the trilateral summit, “the celebration of which is currently being coordinated,” according to his ministry.

The Kishida-Yoon meeting, for its part, would take place after Japan’s Communications Ministry earlier this year urged LY Corp, the operator of the popular messaging app Line, to strengthen protection of users’ personal data. users after a massive data breach.

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also noted that the app provider is heavily dependent on South Korea’s Naver Corp., one of LY’s major shareholders, to operate the app’s system and lacked adequate countermeasures. against cyber attacks.

The ministry’s call to review the capital relationship between LY and Naver has sparked a backlash in South Korea, so Kishida and Yoon are likely to address this issue in their next meeting, according to sources.