On Saturday (August 23), South Korean President Lee Jae-myung arrived in Japan to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This Japan-Korea summit aims to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries in preparation for the US-Korea summit scheduled for next Monday.
This is Lee Jae-myung’s first official visit to Japan since taking office in June this year. He will meet Shigeru Ishiba at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Tokyo to discuss bilateral relations, including expanding security cooperation with the United States based on the trilateral security agreement between the US, Japan, and South Korea.
During the summit talks, Shigeru Ishiba stated, “A stable relationship is beneficial for both our countries and the region. Strengthening our trilateral alliance with the United States is also crucial.”
Following the impeachment of conservative former President Yoon Suk-yeol for declaring martial law, liberal Lee Jae-myung quickly won in South Korea’s snap election, leading to a new uncertainty in Japan-Korea relations.
Former President Yoon Suk-yeol had improved tensions between Japan and South Korea stemming from Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. However, Lee Jae-myung has criticized Yoon Suk-yeol’s efforts to reconcile with Japan.
Last week, Japanese officials visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which the South Korean government expressed “deep disappointment and regret” about.
Nevertheless, Lee Jae-myung has consistently expressed support for building closer relations with Japan, including his first meeting with Shigeru Ishiba during the G7 summit in June.
Despite some disagreements between Japan and South Korea, both American allies largely rely on the United States to counter the increasing regional threat from China. The two countries host around 80,000 US troops, along with dozens of American warships and hundreds of military aircraft.
Next Monday (August 25), Lee Jae-myung is set to hold a summit with US President Trump in Washington, where security cooperation is expected to be a major topic of discussion, including the threat from China, North Korea’s nuclear program, and Seoul’s financial contribution to US forces stationed in South Korea. Currently, there are 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea.
An anonymous US official told Reuters that the Pentagon is shifting the focus of the US-South Korea alliance to counter the threat from China in order to avoid partial withdrawal of US troops from South Korea.
On Friday (August 22), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
In a statement released by the US State Department after the meeting, it was emphasized that “the Secretary of State and the Foreign Minister highlighted the enduring strength of the US-Korea alliance, which has been the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific region for over 70 years.”
The statement also mentioned that both sides “discussed advancing the alliance through a forward-looking agenda that strengthens deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, increases burden-sharing, aids in revitalizing American manufacturing, and restores fairness and reciprocity in our trade relationship.”
Additionally, the statement reiterated the importance of trilateral cooperation between the US, Japan, and South Korea.