Japan and South Korea announced measures to strengthen their diplomatic and trade ties at the start of a visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to Japan. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Tokyo on Thursday for a state visit, the most important at this level in 12 years.
It follows the plan presented by Seoul in early March to compensate South Koreans subjected to forced labor by Japan during the first half of the 20th century. Further steps towards reconciliation were announced on Thursday, with the two countries deciding to reinstate their regular diplomatic visits.
Japan will also lift its restrictions on the export of semiconductor materials to South Korea, which it introduced in 2019, and Seoul will withdraw its complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) about it. Hours before Yoon’s arrival in Tokyo, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Sea of Japan.
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The South Korean president has made restoring ties with Japan one of his top priorities since his election a year ago. On Wednesday, in an interview with various media before his trip, he described the growing cooperation with Japan as a historic “new chapter” for both countries.
“We must end the vicious cycle of mutual hostility and work together to pursue the common interests of our two countries,” Yoon said.
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historical dispute
The past between the two countries weighs heavily on their relations, marked by the dark period of Japanese colonization of the Korean peninsula (1910-1945) and, in particular, by the issue of Korean sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II. World War.
A 2018 South Korean court ruling that ordered some Japanese companies to pay compensation for forced labor during the occupation opened a new crisis in bilateral relations, with the establishment of reciprocal trade barriers and the cessation of cooperation in various fields. Japan considers that the historical dispute was resolved in 1965 with the normalization of bilateral relations, in particular through a package of loans and financial aid granted by Tokyo to Seoul. Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are scheduled to hold a joint press conference.
Until now, both leaders had only met on the sidelines of international events. Yoon wants to put the historic dispute behind him by seeking closer rapprochement with Tokyo, a key regional ally of the United States, in the face of a growing threat from North Korea. The rapprochement between Seoul and Tokyo has been welcomed internationally, especially by Washington, eager for its two closest Asian allies to reconcile.
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EFE
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