Tokyo, Seoul Reaffirm Cooperation on N. Korea Denuclearization

August 3, 2018

Singapore- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, on Thursday reaffirmed cooperation between Tokyo and Seoul, as well as among them and Washington, toward denuclearizing North Korea.

Meeting in Singapore, Kono and Kang agreed that Japan and South Korea will work further to build a future-oriented bilateral relationship while appropriately managing difficult problems between the two countries.

Kono said Tokyo wants South Korean President Moon Jae-in to visit Japan.

He called on South Korea to steadily implement the 2015 bilateral agreement to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the issue of Korean women allegedly forced to serve as prostitutes for Japanese troops before and during World War II.

Based on the agreement, the Japanese government contributed one billion yen to a South Korean foundation set up to support such comfort women. But the South Korean government recently decided to replace the one billion yen with its reserve funds, annoying the Japanese side.

According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, Kono said he hopes that South Korea will manage the issue properly. Kang was quoted as saying that she is making efforts to take a balanced position over the matter.

Kono and Kang met on the fringe of a series of meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Jiji Press