Busan: President Lee Jae Myung held summit talks with outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday. Ishiba arrived for a two-day trip as a reciprocal visit following Lee’s trip to Japan last month, marking the restoration of “shuttle diplomacy” between the two nations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, before the summit, Ishiba paid tribute at the grave of Lee Soo-hyun, a South Korean student who is remembered as a symbol of friendly bilateral relations for his selfless attempt to save a Japanese man. It was the first time a sitting Japanese prime minister visited the grave of the late student, who died at the age of 26 trying to rescue a Japanese man who had fallen onto subway tracks in Tokyo in 2001.

The meeting between Lee and Ishiba marks their third encounter following talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June and Lee’s visit to Tokyo in August. During their last summit, Lee suggested holding their next meeting in South Korea outside of Seoul. Ishiba’s current trip is his first to South Korea since taking office in October last year and the first visit by a Japanese prime minister to a South Korean city other than Seoul in 21 years.

The agenda for the summit includes shared challenges such as demographic changes and regional revitalization, along with future-oriented cooperation in areas like artificial intelligence and hydrogen energy, as stated by National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Monday. Although trade is not officially on the agenda, the leaders are expected to exchange views given Japan’s recent trade deal with the United States, while South Korea is negotiating details of its own framework agreement reached in July.

The visit is expected to be Ishiba’s final one to South Korea as prime minister, following his announcement of resignation earlier this month.