The weekend visit to Tokyo by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has highlighted the neighbors’ desire to put their historical baggage behind them and focus on economic and security cooperation — especially as both look to manage relations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
In a symbol of this, Lee on Saturday made Japan his first destination abroad as leader — the first time a South Korean president has visited Japan before the United States, the two Asian nations’ mutual ally, since Tokyo and Seoul normalized diplomatic ties in 1965.
Following wide-ranging talks later in the day, the two leaders agreed that Japan and South Korea must work “as partners” to address “various challenges facing the international community” in order to advance “future-oriented and mutually beneficial common interests,” according to a joint statement — the countries’ first in 17 years.
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