Yoon, Kishida build mutual trust by sharing drinks after summit

Former Japanese Prime Minister and Vice President of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Taro Aso, left, shakes hands with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during their meeting at a hotel in Tokyo, Friday, when Yoon finished his two-day trip to Japan. Yonhap

President meets Japanese politicians, business tycoons

By Nam Hyun-woo

TOKYO ― The much-touted summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ended in an amicable mood, painting a rosier outlook for Korea-Japan ties that in recent years had plunged to their lowest point in decades over historical issues.

Along with tangible achievements from the summit, the leaders spent Thursday evening together building trust with each other, which South Korea's presidential office said is an essential process for further developments in bilateral relations.

According to the office, the leaders had dinner at a restaurant famous for "sukiyaki," or beef stew, in Tokyo's Ginza District and then headed to another restaurant famous for "omurice," a dish combining omelet and rice, on Thursday night, where they reportedly spent approximately an hour together while having drinks including Japanese beer and Korean soju, or distilled rice spirits.

Reportedly, the two leaders mixed the drinks to make "somaek" cocktails, which is a portmanteau of soju and beer ("maekju" in Korean), to symbolize the friendship between the two countries.

Sources said Kishida complimented the drink as "the taste of friendship," while Yoon told Kishida that he wants to improve bilateral relations to the peak status during his tenure.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida toast at a restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, Thursday. Yonhap

The casual meeting followed an 84-minute summit, during which the leaders agreed to resume regular visits to each other's country and lift trade restrictions that Tokyo imposed on Seoul against the backdrop of historical disputes. Also, they agreed to normalize an intelligence-sharing pact between the two countries to counter North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile threats.

After exploring avenues for government-wise cooperation with Japan a day earlier, Yoon focused on improving ties with Japan in the fields of politics and economy.

On Friday, Yoon received a courtesy visit from high-profile figures from associations promoting the two countries' friendship, such as Tokyo's Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union. Of them, former Prime Ministers Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga.

Yoon said his two-day visit to Japan was the "first step toward normalizing the bilateral relations" and asked for their continued efforts to deepen the ties.

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Aso, the former Japanese prime minister, is known as one of the figures who played a critical role in facilitating Thursday's summit. In November, Aso visited Yoon's office in Seoul and pledged his efforts to improve bilateral ties. Japanese newspapers have reported that Kishida expressed gratitude for Aso's efforts to better Seoul-Tokyo relations.

Aso remarked that relations between Korea and Japan met their "biggest juncture in more than seven decades" of the two countries' modern history and that President Yoon's leadership had helped to reach "a new turning point."

Suga, who took the prime ministerial post in 2020, a year after Seoul-Tokyo relations turned sour, was anticipated to be an instrumental partner in improving the bilateral ties but left the post in just one year amid abysmal public approval on his administration's COVID-19 response. On March 3, he was announced as the next chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union.

Along with Aso and Suga, Yoon met Kenta Izumi, the head of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.

A presidential aide said the opposition party's visit was not planned initially, but the party expressed its intention to visit Yoon as "it wanted to express welcome as the president seeks future-oriented bilateral relations."

"Japan's opposition party asked for the meeting, because the Japanese political circles show bipartisan support for Yoon's idea, and it is with pleasure that we agreed to meet them," the aide said.

"In Japan, there are no ruling or opposition sides in terms of pursuing future-oriented bilateral relations. But I am not sure about whether it is so in Korea," he said referring to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's harsh criticisms of Yoon's stance in mending ties with Japan.

While receiving the opposition party, Yoon said, "The two countries' summit itself is a significant step toward normalizing bilateral ties and further progress."

Yoon in the afternoon also met leaders of the Komeito, which is a coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in a separate meeting.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a roundtable with business tycoons of Korea and Japan at Japan's Keidanren headquarters in Tokyo, Friday. From left are Acting Federation of Korean Industries Chairman Kim Byong-joon, Yoon, and Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura. Yonhap

On the economic front, Yoon attended a luncheon roundtable with business tycoons of the two countries.

"To overcome the comprehensive crisis that the world faces, coalition and cooperation between countries sharing universal values," Yoon said. "Korea and Japan should cooperate to jointly respond to various global agendas including supply chain disruptions, climate change and advanced technologies."

Yoon cited last month's joint investment between Seoul's battery maker LG Energy Solution and Tokyo's carmaker Honda, in which they will establish a joint venture to produce lithium-ion batteries in the United States to power Honda and Acura EV models for the North American market.

"I believe there are huge opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the fields of digital transition, semiconductors, battery and EVs," Yoon said.

From Korea, participants included Federation of Korean Industries acting Chairman Kim Byong-joon and Korea's top five conglomerate heads ― Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Chung Euisun, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. From Japan, the leadership of the lobby group Keidanren participated, including Masakazu Tokura, chairman of Keidanren Chairman and chairman of Sumitomo Chemical.