WASHINGTON: South Korean International Minister Chung Eui-yong mentioned he would meet his Japanese counterpart on Thursday (Sep 23) and hoped for progress to finish a dispute that has led to tit-for-tat commerce restrictions.
Chung instructed the Council on International Relations think-tank throughout a go to to New York that he would maintain a bilateral assembly with Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi within the metropolis after participating in a trilateral assembly along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday.
“Japan is our shut neighbour and we share the identical values of democracy, market economic system, human rights and all that,” he mentioned. “So, we would like Japan as an in depth buddy, however sadly now we have some variations in see the previous historical past.”
A historic feud over Japan’s 1910 to 1945 occupation of Korea together with over “consolation ladies” – Japan’s euphemism for principally Korean ladies pressured to work in its wartime brothels – has lengthy soured bilateral ties between the 2 essential US allies.
The dispute lately has introduced tit-for-tat export curbs and threatened safety cooperation between the neighbours regardless of the shared risk they face from North Korea.
Chung mentioned Seoul believed the problems may very well be resolved by dialogue.
He mentioned it was unlucky that commerce restrictions had resulted from political variations and mentioned he hoped these may very well be resolved quickly, in any other case Seoul must deliver them earlier than a World Commerce Group panel.
“Koreans are very hopeful that the 2 international ministers of Japan and Korea will work on one thing to normalise relations between Korea and Japan,” he mentioned.
Chung and Motegi met on the sidelines of the G-7 assembly in Britain in Might however didn’t handle then to slim their variations.
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