Tokyo. Japan and South Korea announced measures to strengthen their diplomatic and trade ties at the start of a visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to Japan.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Tokyo on Thursday for a state visit, the most important at this level in 12 years.
It follows the plan presented by Seoul in early March to compensate South Koreans subjected to forced labor by Japan during the first half of the 20th century.
New steps towards reconciliation were announced yesterday, with the decision by both countries to reinstate their regular diplomatic visits.
Japan will also lift its restrictions on the export of semiconductor materials to South Korea, which it introduced in 2019, and Seoul will withdraw its complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) about it.
Hours before Yoon’s arrival in Tokyo, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Sea of Japan.
The South Korean president has made restoring ties with Japan one of his top priorities since his election a year ago.
On Wednesday, in an interview with various media before his trip, he described the growing cooperation with Japan as a historic “new chapter” for both countries.
We must end the vicious cycle of mutual hostility and work together to pursue the common interests of our two countries,” Yoon said.
