South Korean President-elect Lee Jae-myeon and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed in a phone call to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries, Reuters reported, citing statements by a spokesman for the South Korean president and the Japanese Foreign Ministry, BTA reports.
The conversation took place after both leaders expressed their intention to continue their coordination on the North Korea issue.
President Lee, a leftist leader who was elected last week, stressed that pragmatism would guide his diplomacy. He said he would continue security cooperation with Japan and the United States. The South Korean leader stressed to Ishiba that he intends to address geopolitical challenges through trilateral cooperation with Tokyo and Washington, presidential spokesman Kang Yu-ju said. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of bilateral relations and agreed to meet in person in the near future to continue developing cooperation between their countries, Kang added. According to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Ishiba said he wanted relations with South Korea to continue to develop through “mutual efforts based on the achievements of the two governments“. The conversation between the leaders lasted about 25 minutes, the ministry said.