South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, said Thursday that he is looking to visit Japan soon in the hopes of continuing the two countries' "shuttle diplomacy," or mutual visits by their leaders.

With the two nations commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization this year, Lee also voiced his hope that Tokyo and Seoul will release a new bilateral statement. Like the 1998 Japan-South Korea joint declaration, which called on the two countries to build a future-oriented relationship, the East Asian neighbors need to clearly define their relations, he added.

He made these remarks at a news conference in Seoul to mark his first month of taking office on June 4.