The strategic importance of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to South Korea to meet President Yoon Suk-yeol cannot be overstated.
The meeting has the potential to set the tone for the future bilateral relations between the two nations, trilateral cooperation with the U.S. as well as for the wider geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific.
Before coming into power, Yoon made it clear that he wanted to return the South Korea-Japan relationship to a more pragmatic and mutually beneficial relationship. He did this by first stating that the December 2015 "comfort women" agreement would be official government policy. He also visited Japan to meet with counterparts to discuss his new vision for South Korea-Japan relations.