Seoul: The offices of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are working together to arrange a summit in Tokyo later this month, according to a report from Japan. The meeting is anticipated to occur around August 23, as reported by Japan's Asahi Shimbun, which cited multiple government sources.
According to Yonhap News Agency, when questioned about the report, South Korean presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung confirmed that both sides have been coordinating the summit, though the schedule has yet to be finalized. Should the summit materialize, it would mark President Lee's first visit to Japan since assuming office in early June and would indicate the revival of "shuttle diplomacy" between the leaders of the two countries.
Lee and Ishiba previously met in person on June 17 during the Group of Seven summit in Canada, where they discussed strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing trilateral cooperation with the United States. Additionally, President Lee is expected to visit Washington for his inaugural summit with U.S. President Donald Trump later this month, although the South Korean presidential office has not yet announced the specific schedule.
"The schedules for a South Korea-Japan summit and a South Korea-U.S. summit are still being arranged and have not been confirmed. We will announce them once they are confirmed," Kang informed reporters.