For the first time in twelve years, a South Korean head of state is visiting Japan for bilateral talks. Just before the start of the meeting, neighboring North Korea is flexing its muscles.
Japan and South Korea have agreed to resume bilateral security dialogue amid growing threats from North Korea’s missile tests and China’s drive for power.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after a summit meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Tokyo that bilateral relations should be strengthened as a matter of urgency. Both heads of state and government also agreed to resume their mutual shuttle diplomacy. A few hours before the start of the meeting, North Korea had tested a nuclear-capable missile with a range of thousands of kilometers.
It is the first time in twelve years that Yoon, a South Korean head of state, is visiting Japan for bilateral talks. The two US allies want to overcome their disagreements over how to deal with Japan’s colonial and wartime past. To this end, Japan is lifting its tightened controls on exports of materials for the production of chips and displays to South Korea.
In return, Seoul is withdrawing arbitration proceedings brought before the World Trade Organization (WTO). The background to the trade dispute was a dispute over compensation for Korean forced laborers during Japan’s colonial rule (1910 to 1945).
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
