Tokyo: Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met one-on-one with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Saturday to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation, as well as address pending historical issues.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the talks occurred in Tokyo shortly after their trilateral dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This meeting comes about a month after their previous discussion in Germany and two months following Iwaya’s visit to Seoul. Cho emphasized the importance of face-to-face meetings to enhance bilateral relations and expressed hope for deeper exchanges and cooperation with Japan.

Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have shown improvement since President Yoon Suk Yeol announced in March 2023 that South Korea would independently compensate forced labor victims without financial contributions from Japan. During the talks, Iwaya highlighted the significance of Japan’s bilateral relations with South Korea and their trilateral partnership with the United States amid evolving regional and international contexts.

A key topic on the agenda was Japan’s stance on plans for a memorial ceremony for victims of wartime forced labor at its UNESCO-listed Sado mines. South Korea boycotted last year’s memorial event, protesting Tokyo’s insufficient efforts to honor the victims properly. The ministers are also expected to discuss preparations for the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries, scheduled for June this year.

Additionally, the discussions may include coordination efforts in response to Trump’s policies in trade, security, and other areas. The previous talks between Cho and Iwaya took place in Munich last month, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.