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President Moon Jae-in had his first phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, who took office on the 4th. It has been 11 days since Prime Minister Kishida took office. From the first call, sensitive topics such as the issue of past history were on the agenda, and the three countries agreed to cooperate on the North Korean issue.
Correspondent Kwon Ran.
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The first phone call between President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Kishida was held yesterday (15th) at 6:40 pm for about 30 minutes.
It has been 11 days since Prime Minister Kishida took office.
After delivering congratulations, President Moon brought up the issue of forced labor and the comfort women, which are acute issues between Korea and Japan.
President Moon emphasized "seeking a diplomatic solution", citing "differences in legal interpretation of the scope of the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement" as the reason for the two countries running parallel to the issue of forced labor.
Regarding the comfort women issue, he said, "We need to find a solution that is convincing to the victims and does not interfere with diplomatic relations."
Prime Minister Kishida, however, called for an "appropriate response from the South Korean side", saying, "Korea-Japan relations are in a very difficult situation" over the issue of forced labor and comfort women.
The two leaders also exchanged opinions on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
President Moon emphasized the need to resume dialogue with North Korea as soon as possible and highly praised Prime Minister Kishida's will to "face face-to-face with Chairman Kim Jong-un without conditions."
Prime Minister Kishida said that South Korea, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Japan had reached an agreement with President Moon to cooperate to respond to the North Korean issue.
Prime Minister Kishida also referred to the North Korean abduction issue and requested South Korea's cooperation, and President Moon expressed interest in and cooperation.