President Lee Myung Bak will seek a "mature" relationship with Japan that prioritizes economic ties and diplomatic cooperation, rather than focus on emotional issues linked to the past Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean journalists told the Feb. 22 symposium.
But they also pointed out that a "future-oriented" relationship is something that has been similarly advocated by the past three South Korean presidents but has proven elusive as bilateral ties were frequently hit by history-related disputes.
On the day of his inauguration, President Lee held talks with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, and agreed to resume stalled reciprocal visits and restart stalled talks for a free-trade agreement in a bid to create future-oriented ties.