Prime Minister Han Deok-soo departed for today (27th) to attend the director general of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Prime Minister Han left for Japan through Seongnam Seoul Airport this morning.
Prime Minister Han will meet with high-level officials from various countries who have visited Japan for 'condolence diplomacy' for two days, and will also have contact with Japanese business people.
Prime Minister Han is visiting Japan as the leader of the Korean government's condolence team.
Deputy head of the Cho Moon-dan is the People's Strength Emergency Response Committee Chairman Jin-seok Jeong, and the members are Ambassador Yoon Deok-min to Japan and Heung-soo Yoo, President of the Korea-Japan Friendship Association Central Association (former ambassador to Japan).
Prime Minister Han will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris first in Tokyo this morning.
Vice President Harris plans to prevent President Yun Seok-yeol in South Korea on the 29th, but before that, he will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Han for a meeting.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Han expressed his welcome to Vice President Harris's first visit to Korea and plans to ask for close consultations between South Korea and the United States in the areas of economy and security.
There is also the possibility that the issue of discrimination against Korean electric vehicles under the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will be discussed.
Prime Minister Han will then attend the Director General of Abe Abe, which will be held at the Budokan from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. today.
After the director is finished, a welcome banquet (reception) is held at the Akasaka State Guesthouse, hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Prime Minister Han is expected to have a brief chat with Prime Minister Kishida here and also meet with former Prime Minister Abe's wife Akie.
In the evening, a dinner is planned at the residence of the Japanese embassy, inviting Korean representatives.
A formal meeting between Prime Minister Han and Prime Minister Kishida will be held tomorrow morning, the day after the director.
Prime Minister Han is expected to convey the will of the Korean government to restore and improve relations between Korea and Japan.
At a press conference on the 23rd, Prime Minister Han said, "I don't think we're negotiating or negotiating important issues."
Prime Minister Han said, "As Japan and Korea are neighbors who share ideas in important values such as democracy, market economy, and human rights, it is important to our national security and economics, so we hope to have a good relationship in the future." It will only be delivered,” he explained.
Prime Minister Han also meets with Prime Minister Nikolae Chiuka Romaniwa and former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
During the visit to Japan, multilateral meetings are also held with the Prime Minister, Japanese politicians, and businessmen.
The Prime Minister's Office said, "Prime Minister Han will explain the Korean government's efforts to improve Korea-Japan relations in meetings with Japanese political figures and with former Prime Minister Suga, and ask for active cooperation from Japanese politics."
Prime Minister Han's visit to Japan is the second departure since taking office after attending the General Assembly of the Organization of International Expositions (BIE) held in Paris in June.
(Photo = Yonhap News)