Moon may send friendly letter to Abe via S. Korean PM visiting Tokyo next week
- 5 years ago
We begin with some possible moves that could open the way for South Korea and Japan to mend their frayed ties.
The South Korean prime minister is going to Tokyo next week for the Emperor's enthronement ceremony.
And while he's there he could hand over a friendly letter from President Moon Jae-in to the Japanese prime minister if they meet next Thursday.
Shin Se-min has our top story.
Perhaps a friendly letter from South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe helping to defrost the bilateral relations between the two countries.
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon says that he has requested a letter from Moon so he can deliver the message to the Japanese leader when he visits Tokyo next week to attend the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito on October 22nd.
In an interview with Japan's Kyodo News on Friday, Prime Minister Lee said he is keen to be messenger between the two leaders,... adding that he will listen to Abe's words sincerely and "do his best to explain the thoughts of President Moon and himself."
An official at the top office, in regards to the PM's interview,... said it's difficult to say whether a letter is being prepared but said such discussions between the President and the Prime Minister had in fact taken place.
As for his visit to Japan Lee said he hopes the two leaders can resolve the matters between the two sides as historic obligations and added that it will not take long to solve the bilateral friction, given that the leaders both appear to have a strong will to do so before the end of their terms.
Also speaking to Asahi Shimbun,... the Prime Minister said if Japan rolls back its trade restrictions against South Korea then the two sides can review the possibility of Seoul rejoining its military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan and added that all of this is possible if the two sides make a real effort.
South Korea's Prime Minister's office confirmed on Friday that the one-on-one meeting between PMs Lee and Abe will be on October 24th but the duration of that meeting is still unknown.
That meeting, although expected to be a brief encounter will be the highest level meeting between the two neighboring countries since their relations tanked to their lowest level in decades.
Topping the agenda for the talks may be Japan's export curbs, which are seen as political retaliation for a South Korean top court's ruling last year that ordered Japanese firms to compensate victims of Tokyo's wartime forced labor in the 1940s.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
The South Korean prime minister is going to Tokyo next week for the Emperor's enthronement ceremony.
And while he's there he could hand over a friendly letter from President Moon Jae-in to the Japanese prime minister if they meet next Thursday.
Shin Se-min has our top story.
Perhaps a friendly letter from South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe helping to defrost the bilateral relations between the two countries.
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon says that he has requested a letter from Moon so he can deliver the message to the Japanese leader when he visits Tokyo next week to attend the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito on October 22nd.
In an interview with Japan's Kyodo News on Friday, Prime Minister Lee said he is keen to be messenger between the two leaders,... adding that he will listen to Abe's words sincerely and "do his best to explain the thoughts of President Moon and himself."
An official at the top office, in regards to the PM's interview,... said it's difficult to say whether a letter is being prepared but said such discussions between the President and the Prime Minister had in fact taken place.
As for his visit to Japan Lee said he hopes the two leaders can resolve the matters between the two sides as historic obligations and added that it will not take long to solve the bilateral friction, given that the leaders both appear to have a strong will to do so before the end of their terms.
Also speaking to Asahi Shimbun,... the Prime Minister said if Japan rolls back its trade restrictions against South Korea then the two sides can review the possibility of Seoul rejoining its military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan and added that all of this is possible if the two sides make a real effort.
South Korea's Prime Minister's office confirmed on Friday that the one-on-one meeting between PMs Lee and Abe will be on October 24th but the duration of that meeting is still unknown.
That meeting, although expected to be a brief encounter will be the highest level meeting between the two neighboring countries since their relations tanked to their lowest level in decades.
Topping the agenda for the talks may be Japan's export curbs, which are seen as political retaliation for a South Korean top court's ruling last year that ordered Japanese firms to compensate victims of Tokyo's wartime forced labor in the 1940s.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.