Senior officials from Japan and South Korea agreed Thursday over the telephone to continue dialogue and closely cooperate to mend bilateral ties that have sunk to a historic low over a wartime labor dispute, the Foreign Ministry said.
In the talks with Choi Jong-kun, South Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs, Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba urged Seoul to make a move to return bilateral ties, which currently face an extremely difficult situation, to a sound footing, the ministry said.
The officials also agreed on the importance of their countries cooperating bilaterally as well as trilaterally with the United States for regional stability, it said. The talks were held at the request of Choi, who assumed the post in August.