South Korean Amb. calls for 3-way cooperation to tackle North

September 24, 2017

TOKYO- South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Joon-gyu on Saturday called for trilateral cooperation including Japan and the United States to resolve the issue of North Korea, which repeats nuclear and missile tests.

A reason for sluggish growth in the number of Japanese visitors to South Korea is the North Korea issue, Lee told reporters at a festival to promote friendship between Japanese and South Korean people through cultural exchange.

The two-day event kicked off at Hibiya Park in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Saturday, featuring traditional arts and live music programs.

Lee said he hopes many Japanese people will visit South Korea during and after the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next year, even though Japan-South Korea relations cannot be considered good.

Japan and South Korea need broad-based exchanges between not just leaders but various citizens, including young people, former Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at the opening ceremony of the festival.

Misa Uchibori, a 29-year-old company worker from Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, said she does not feel bilateral relations have worsened.

"This event for citizens to enjoy each other's culture itself proves bilateral friendship," said Uchibori, who loves South Korean music and has traveled to the country about five times.

Seiji Kinoshita, 40, who came with his family from the capital's Adachi Ward, expressed hopes for an improvement in Japan-South Korea relations, saying exchanges among people will have positive impacts on the political world. Jiji Press