By UN Journal Kayla Lee

Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as the Minister of Economy and Finance, met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya during his visit to Korea on Jan. 14.

Acting President Choi welcomed Foreign Minister Iwaya’s visit to Korea as his first overseas trip this year and appreciated the Japanese government’s emphasis on the importance of Korea-Japan relations and its close communication with the Korean government.

Minister Iwaya expressed his gratitude for Acting President Choi’s warm welcome and extended his condolences for those affected by the recent Jeju Air plane crash.

Both sides agreed that Korea and Japan, which share values and interests, should continue to cooperate steadfastly and advance bilateral relations. They also agreed to diligently implement the commemorative projects that both countries have jointly prepared for the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.

In addition, amidst increasing uncertainties in the trade environment, they concurred with the view that their close economic ties should be sustained based on the complementary relationship between the industries of the two countries.

Both sides shared the view that under the current severe international circumstances, bilateral cooperation and trilateral cooperation between Korea, Japan, and the U.S. is more crucial than ever. They also reaffirmed mutual support for the upcoming APEC summit, where Korea will serve as the chair, and the ROK-Japan-China Trilateral Summit, which Japan will chair this year.