By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol held his second summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Nov. 16 (local time), discussing the situation in Northeast Asia and North Korea's troop deployment to Russia. 

President Yoon assessed that “close cooperation between Japan and South Korea is more important than ever,” while Prime Minister Ishiba described the situation as “grave.”

“Since the first summit (last month), the regional and global situation has been changing rapidly, with military cooperation between Russia and North Korea leading to the deployment of North Korean troops,” Yoon, who is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, said at a hotel in Lima, Peru.

”At a time when close cooperation between Japan and South Korea is more important than ever, I think this meeting with the prime minister is particularly meaningful.” “I look forward to sharing in-depth discussions with the Prime Minister on how to continue to develop bilateral relations and the increasingly tense regional and global situation,” Yoon added.

“It is an important task to continue to strengthen cooperation between Japan and South Korea in light of the strict security environment surrounding us, including North Korea,” Ishiba said, ”and I look forward to a fruitful exchange of views.”

The meeting lasted about 50 minutes. “They reaffirmed the growing importance of bilateral cooperation and coordination between Japan and South Korea at a time of rapid transition in the regional and international situation,” the presidential office said. 

During the meeting, Yoon and Ishiba “expressed strong concern over the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, and agreed that Japan and South Korea should work more closely together to ensure that the international community continues to send a unified message to North Korea.” The two leaders also agreed to work together to continue to develop the trilateral cooperation system after Trump's second term.

The two leaders also expressed their intention to continue strengthening bilateral ties. President Yoon said, “Last month in Laos, I told you that I would like to see you often, and I am very happy to see you again after only a month,” while Prime Minister Ishiba said, “I think this is what Japan-ROK relations should be like. I would like to continue to strengthen this relationship.” 

“Next year, we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations,” Ishiba said, adding, ”I hope that between President Yoon and myself, we can make the relationship between Japan and South Korea even stronger for the future.”