Explainer | ‘A turning point’: what’s in store for South Korea-Japan ties as Yoon, Kishida meet in Seoul?

Name: North Korea warns enemies of ‘extreme horror’ as it tests new missile
Uploaded: 2023-05-06T03:30:11.000Z
Duration: 2 min 3 s
Description: North Korea warns enemies of ‘extreme horror’ as it tests new missile

Building closer security ties to counter North Korea, expanding economic cooperation are among the issues likely to be the focus of Kishida’s Seoul trip

Warmer South Korea-Japan ties may also see the neighbours draw closer to the US, which could incur China’s wrath and escalate tensions, analyst notes

Reading Time:4 minutes

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida toast during dinner at a Tokyo restaurant in March. Photo: dpa

Seong Hyeon Choi

Published: 11:30am, 6 May 2023

The relationship between South Korea and Japan looks set for a thaw as the leaders of both nations meet on Sunday to discuss a range of shared interests, including security and trade.

South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho earlier this week described the situation as a “turning point”, following years of acrimony over historical disagreements related to Japan’s treatment of its former colony.

The past was dredged up after a 2018 South Korean court ruling rekindled ill feelings over Koreans used as forced labour during the Japanese occupation in WWII, sparking a diplomatic row over intelligence-sharing and tit-for-tat trade restrictions.

A recent accord struck between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during the latter’s March visit to Tokyo – the first in 12 years – aimed at putting that issue in the past.

This weekend’s summit in Seoul is the reciprocation of Yoon’s visit, when both sides pledged to restore regular “shuttle diplomacy”.

Here’s what to know about the recent thaw in South Korea-Japan ties and this weekend’s summit.

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North Korea warns enemies of ‘extreme horror’ as it tests new missile