S. Korea, Japan reach 'deeper understanding' as official hints at possible summit
- 5 years ago
And although there was no mention in Thursday's meeting of a summit between President Moon and Prime Minister Abe,... South Korea's foreign minister apparently thinks the meeting did help narrow the gap.
Could there be a summit meeting between the two leaders sometime soon?
Shin Se-min with the details.
Not a single mention of the next high-level meeting between South Korea and Japan from the face-to-face between the two Prime Ministers on Thursday.
But the general consensus is that the talks may lead to more active discussions between the two sides.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, on the same day, said that while the two sides still have differences,... they seem to have narrowed the gap to a certain extent,... and said they now have a deeper understanding of each other.
She added that the South Korean government will continue its efforts through dialogue and discussion.
And with the leaders President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showing strong determination to work out their relations before the end of their terms,... it is likely that such a meeting may take place sometime within the year, especially with some major dates lined up.
One of those dates is the termination of the bilateral intelligence-sharing pact, known as GSOMIA, which falls on November 22nd. Observers say the leaders may want to find a breakthrough before that security pact expires.
And the two leaders may cross paths on the sidelines of a series of global events next month.
They include the ASEAN-plus-three meeting in Thailand and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Chile,… and the Korean President's attendance has been confirmed by the APEC organizer earlier this month.
The presidential aide earlier this week had said President Moon could possibly meet with Japanese Prime Minister on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which may even be attended by the U.S. President.
But the official said that meeting... will only be possible if Japan takes "some visible measures on the issue of Korean victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation of Korea and steps to roll back its decision on export controls."
If that is the case,... that face-to-face between Moon and Abe would be their first since September last year when they met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
Could there be a summit meeting between the two leaders sometime soon?
Shin Se-min with the details.
Not a single mention of the next high-level meeting between South Korea and Japan from the face-to-face between the two Prime Ministers on Thursday.
But the general consensus is that the talks may lead to more active discussions between the two sides.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, on the same day, said that while the two sides still have differences,... they seem to have narrowed the gap to a certain extent,... and said they now have a deeper understanding of each other.
She added that the South Korean government will continue its efforts through dialogue and discussion.
And with the leaders President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showing strong determination to work out their relations before the end of their terms,... it is likely that such a meeting may take place sometime within the year, especially with some major dates lined up.
One of those dates is the termination of the bilateral intelligence-sharing pact, known as GSOMIA, which falls on November 22nd. Observers say the leaders may want to find a breakthrough before that security pact expires.
And the two leaders may cross paths on the sidelines of a series of global events next month.
They include the ASEAN-plus-three meeting in Thailand and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Chile,… and the Korean President's attendance has been confirmed by the APEC organizer earlier this month.
The presidential aide earlier this week had said President Moon could possibly meet with Japanese Prime Minister on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which may even be attended by the U.S. President.
But the official said that meeting... will only be possible if Japan takes "some visible measures on the issue of Korean victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation of Korea and steps to roll back its decision on export controls."
If that is the case,... that face-to-face between Moon and Abe would be their first since September last year when they met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.