Suga Urges S.korea To Act To Improve Ties
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has called on South Korea to take the initiative in restoring healthy bilateral relations.
Suga made the remark in a meeting with South Korea's National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Suga thanked Park for visiting Japan despite the coronavirus pandemic. Park has long been involved in maintaining ties between the two countries.
Suga said the bilateral relationship was extremely strained over wartime labor and other issues.
He said close cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as the United States, is essential in dealing with the threat posed by North Korea.
Suga asked for South Korea's continued support for Japan's effort to secure the repatriation of its nationals abducted by North Korea. Suga and Park agreed that the two countries should closely cooperate in responding to matters concerning North Korea.
After the meeting, Park told reporters that he had conveyed the thoughts of South Korean President Moon Jae-in on putting bilateral relations back on track. He pointed to dialogue between the leaders of the two countries as the best way to bring about improvement.
