South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed that the trilateral partnership between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington could serve as a key framework for responding to geopolitical crises, according to Lee's office on Monday.
“The two leaders reviewed the achievements of past South Korea-US-Japan cooperation and agreed to continue efforts to respond to various geopolitical crises within the framework of trilateral collaboration,” Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, referring to the framework that took shape when Lee's predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol was in office.
This was in line with Tokyo's statement that the two leaders agreed the trilateral ties are important amid the increasingly difficult strategic environment.
In a 25-minute phone call that started at noon Monday, Lee and Ishiba agreed to meet in person in the future to discuss issues of mutual interest, including ways to develop bilateral ties, according to the presidential office. It was the first phone conversation since Lee's presidential election win the previous week.
Lee said on his X account that Ishiba had sent a congratulatory message to him in Korean, while describing him as a leader certain about the need to build a bilateral relationship of genuine trust.
According to Kang, Lee expressed his anticipation that the two countries could "explore ways to deal with common challenges in the future and seek co-prosperity from the perspective of mutual interests."
Marking the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties, the two leaders pledged to solidify bilateral ties on the foundation of mutual respect and trust, Kang added.
Both Lee and Ishiba are expected to attend the Group of Seven summit in Canada soon. Plans for a possible in-person meeting of Lee and Ishiba on the sidelines of the multilateral summit have yet to be announced by Seoul as of press time. An official of Lee's office said the two leaders could not confirm whether their meeting could take place at the G7 summit during a phone call.
Under ousted former President Yoon, the relationship between South Korea and Japan thawed as Yoon sought to leave historical grievances in the past. The improved relations boosted people-to-people exchange to a record level, as the all-time-high 11.25 million passengers were estimated to have flown between South Korea and Japan during the first five months of 2025.
While Yoon touted the close ties with Japan as an effort to "overcome the painful past," Lee, who was then the leader of the liberal opposition party, had long criticized Yoon for his "humiliating" approach to diplomacy.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
