Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held talks with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi on Saturday to discuss pending issues between their nations.
The 40-minute talks were held at noon before the top diplomats sat down for a trilateral meeting with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Hawaii.
After the bilateral talks, Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a press release that Minister Chung stressed that South Korea and Japan are the closest neighbors that must work together for the peace and prosperity of Northeast Asia and the world.
The ministry said Chung also emphasized that a correct understanding of history is the foundation for the future-oriented development of the South Korea-Japan relationship.
Chung reportedly explained the government’s position again on the issues of Korean victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor and sexual slavery and proposed that diplomatic authorities of the two nations accelerate consultations in order to find resolutions acceptable to the victims.
In addition, Chung expressed Seoul’s deep regret and protest against Tokyo’s pursuit of a UNESCO World Heritage designation for the controversial Sado mine.
The minister also stressed the need for Japan to remove its trade restrictions against South Korea in the near future.
Source: KBS World Radio