South Korean leader seeks early visit to Japan, stresses cooperation
"I had actually planned to visit Japan soon, but I have heard they got very busy with an election, so we haven't been able to finalize the date yet," Lee said at a press conference in Seoul that coincided with the kickoff of Japan's upper house election campaign.
Noting that both countries are key allies of the United States and share liberal democratic values, Lee stressed the need for a "flexible and rational" approach in diplomacy and called for frequent bilateral exchanges through "shuttle diplomacy" involving the countries' leaders swapping visits.
"Let's meet frequently when needed, reduce misunderstandings, talk about issues, and cooperate wherever we can," Lee said when asked about Japan at the press conference, held to mark his 30th day in office.
Describing South Korea and Japan as "inseparable neighbors" who share common strategic interests, especially in responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Lee stressed the importance of separating historical grievances from cooperation.
Lee and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met last month in Canada on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit and reaffirmed their commitment to exchange regular visits.
Bilateral ties had long been fraught over issues stemming from Japan's colonization of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 before beginning to improve under Lee's predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee and Ishiba agreed in their June meeting to build on the recent thaw in relations.
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