Korea. (Getty Images)
TOKYO (Kyodo) — New South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Japan on Tuesday, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said, as the two Asian neighbors work to maintain stable relations.
He is expected to meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya during his two-day stay in Tokyo, the ministry said Monday. It will be Cho’s first overseas trip since taking office earlier this month under President Lee Jae Myung.
At the planned meeting, Iwaya and Cho are likely to affirm continued cooperation both bilaterally and trilaterally with their common ally, the United States, in response to China’s assertive military activities and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, a Japanese government source said.
Following Cho’s appointment, the two foreign ministers held phone talks and agreed to work together to promote stable ties and maintain close communication, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
Lee was inaugurated in June after the impeachment and removal of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who briefly imposed martial law last year.
Japan-South Korea ties, often strained over historical grievances including wartime labor disputes, have improved since Yoon became president in 2022.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry added that Cho will head to the United States for his first meeting as South Korea’s top diplomat with U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio, following his trip to Japan.
AloJapan.com