South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party on Friday said President-elect Park Geun Hye will meet on Jan. 4 with former Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, whom Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will send to Seoul as a special envoy.

Nukaga serves as secretary general of the Japan-South Korea lawmakers' league. Abe decided to send a special envoy in order to improve bilateral relations, which cooled due to issues including a territorial dispute over the Takeshima Islands in the Sea of Japan, on the occasion of a change in the administrations of both countries.