The leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed Thursday to resume stalled summit talks "at an appropriate time," as Japan's new prime minister has pledged to repair strained ties with Asian neighbors, South Korean officials said.
The agreement was made as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe telephoned South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in response to Roh's congratulatory message on his election earlier this week.
"The leaders agreed to meet at an appropriate time to discuss ways to improve Korea-Japan relations and discuss related measures through diplomatic channels," said Yoon Tae-young, a spokesman at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
The Japanese government confirmed Seoul's announcement, saying the two leaders agreed to hold the summit talks soon for the first time in nearly one year, Japan's Kyodo News reported.
South Korea has boycotted summit talks with Japan in protest over his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to a Tokyo war shrine accused of glorifying Tokyo's militarism. Korea was colonized by Japan from 1910-1945.
In recent years, Seoul and Tokyo have also wrangled over the Yasukuni shrine and other issues such as Japan's approval of history textbooks glossing over its wartime atrocities and its moves to bolster its sovereignty over the South Korean islets of Dokdo in the East Sea.
Diplomatic sources in Vietnam said the South Korea-Japan summit will likely be held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Hanoi in November.
"Considering various factors, the APEC forum is the most likely place for realizing the summit as it would be the first official international conference where both leaders will jointly participate, so no burden would be imposed on the two countries," said a diplomatic source in Hanoi, requesting anonymity. "I heard there have already been contacts between the two countries over the idea."
As for the 15-minute telephone conversation between the South Korean and Japanese leaders, Abe expressed his willingness to mend soured ties with South Korea, and Roh responded that mutual trust and respect is vital for development of the relations, presidential office spokesman Yoon said.
The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to deal peacefully with North Korea's nuclear threats through close cooperation between countries concerned.
Japan is a participant in six-nation talks aimed at convincing the North to abandon its nuclear weapons. But the talks have been stalled since November due to confrontations between Pyongyang and Washington. The disarmament negotiations also involve the two Koreas, the United States, China and Russia.
Abe, who was elected on Tuesday, has built his political popularity largely on his strong anti-North Korean stance. He is also a proponent of an internationally assertive Japan and a revision to Japan's pacifist constitution.
Abe has said he would seek improvement in ties with South Korea and China, which have been troubled due to Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni. Chinese President Hu Jintao has also refused to meet Koizumi over the shrine dispute.
According to press reports, Abe is expected to travel to China later this year for his first overseas trip as prime minister.
Seoul, Sept. 28 (Yonhap News)
S. Korea, Japan agree to resume summit talks |
