South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will visit Japan from August 23-24 for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing trilateral cooperation with the United States, regional peace and stability, and other global issues. This will be Lee’s first official trip to Japan since taking office in June and his second in-person meeting with Ishiba, following their talks during the G7 summit in Canada in June. Lee will then travel to Washington on August 25 for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. Lee’s decision to stop in Japan before visiting the U.S. is unusual, as previous South Korean presidents typically visited Washington first. The trip coincides with the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan and the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Lee has pledged a “two-track” policy to separate historical disputes from future-oriented cooperation. Key topics are expected to include the U.S.’s recent 15% tariffs on South Korean and Japanese goods, Washington’s broader trade policies, and South Korea’s seafood import ban from eight Japanese prefectures near Fukushima, imposed in 2013 over radiation concerns. Due to Lee’s confirmed visits to both the U.S. and Japan, Seoul has scrapped earlier plans to send special envoys to the two nations.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250813009352315?section=national/diplomacy
