South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are set to meet in Lee’s hometown next week to “strengthen substantive cooperation” across a broad range of areas, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Takaichi will visit Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, where Lee was born and lived until elementary school, from next Tuesday to Wednesday at Lee’s invitation, senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced Friday.
Lee and Takaichi will take part in a series of engagements Tuesday, including one-on-one and expanded summit talks, a joint press conference and a banquet. The two leaders are also expected to share a separate private fellowship program the following day.
“At this summit, the two leaders will hold broad discussions on the future direction of Korea-Japan relations and seek to strengthen substantive cooperation across various areas directly tied to people’s livelihoods, including the economy, society and public protection,” Kang said in a statement.
“They will also discuss regional and global issues, including the situation in the Middle East.”
Notably, Cheong Wa Dae did not refer to long-standing historical disputes stemming from Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 — including issues involving compensation for forced labor and wartime sexual slavery — as key agenda items for the summit.
