S. Korea may study Pres. Moon’s solo visit to Japan: Official

December 18, 2017

Seoul- South Korea would likely study the possibility of President Moon Jae-in's solo visit to Japan, on a separate occasion, if the holding of a possible tripartite summit in Japan among the two countries plus China is delayed, a senior official of the presidential office told reporters on Sunday.

According to the Japanese and South Korean governments, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will visit Japan for two days from Tuesday for talks with Japanese officials, including Foreign Minister Taro Kono.

Kang and the Japanese officials are expected to discuss issues related to Moon's potential Japan visit, informed sources said. No South Korean president has visited Japan since December 2011, when then President Lee Myung-bak paid a visit.

Japan, which currently chairs the three Asian countries' dialogue framework, has given up holding a summit among them in Japan within this year and is now exploring the possibility of realizing it in January 2018. But it remains unclear if things will go as planned.

South Korea is inviting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit the country on the occasion of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February 2018, while aiming to realize Moon's visit to Japan before the Olympic Games.

At a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Friday, Moon expressed his hope to hold a summit among South Korea, Japan and China at an early date. In response, Li said he expects such a meeting to take place early.

The senior official of the South Korean presidential office told reporters that Seoul is closely examining whether the three countries can hold a summit at an early date, after Li sounded positive about the matter. South Korea needs to confirm how China will adjust its position, the official added.

Kang's Japan visit will be the first since she took office in June. She will be the first South Korean foreign minister to visit Japan since her predecessor, Yun Byung-se, made a trip to the country in August 2016.

Kono and Kang are expected to reaffirm close cooperation between Japan and South Korea in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs. The two ministers are also seen talking about Japan-South Korea ties.

North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29 and declared the completion of its nuclear forces.

Sharing the view that the North Korean moves are a serious challenge to the international community, Kono and Kang are expected to confirm the policy of imposing stronger sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang in order to prevent the reclusive country from taking further provocative actions and prompt it to accept dialogue toward its denuclearization, informed sources said.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry may release by year-end the outcome of its reexamination of the negotiation process for the Japan-South Korea agreement in December 2015 for resolving the issue of so-called comfort women, mainly Koreans, who were allegedly forced into prostitution for Japanese troops before and during World War II.

Kang may give an explanation about the result of the re-examination to the Japanese side, according to the sources.

Meanwhile, Kono is expected to ask Seoul to steadily implement the agreement, the sources said.

The administration of Moon is pursuing a two-track foreign policy approach of separating history issues, including on the comfort women, and security and economic cooperation.

In light of the South Korean policy, Kono and Kang are expected to discuss economic and personnel exchanges, and other measures to help develop the Japan-South Korea relationship in a forward-looking manner, the sources said. Jiji Press