The South Korean president will visit Japan next week for the first time in twelve years

March 9 (EUROPA PRESS) –

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will travel to Japan on Thursday and Friday of next week to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, marking the first time in twelve years that a South Korean president visits the islands.

The last recorded official visit occurred in 2011 when Lee Myung Bak presided over South Korea. Although former president Moon Jae In traveled to Osaka in 2019, that visit was part of a G20 summit and is not considered a bilateral visit.

The meeting between Yoon and Kishida occurs after Seoul and Tokyo agreed a few days ago to compensate victims of forced labor during colonial times with donations, according to the Yonhap news agency.

“The visit will become an important milestone for the improvement and development of relations between South Korea and Japan”, highlighted the South Korean Presidency in a statement where it has stressed “expanding cooperation in various areas” such as security, the economy or culture.

Relations between the two nations had deteriorated significantly after the South Korean Supreme Court in 2018 ordered two Japanese firms to compensate victims of the colonial era.

Therefore, South Korea’s recent decision to compensate the victims without Japan’s participation has been interpreted by Tokyo as a sign of Yoon’s strong commitment to improve bilateral relations amid notable challenges, such as the Korean nuclear threat. from North.