Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are certain to agree in talks later this month to deepen cooperation to tackle security threats from North Korea, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
Kishida and Yoon, who are expected to meet in Seoul on Sunday on the sidelines of a trilateral summit involving Japan, South Korea and China, are also likely to affirm the need to bolster their security ties with the United States, the sources said.
The two leaders, having last met in the United States in November, are making arrangements to hold in-person talks amid improved bilateral relations in the wake of South Korea's announcement in March 2023 of a solution to a long-standing wartime labor compensation dispute.
During the talks, Kishida is likely to share concerns with Yoon about North Korea's missile launches and nuclear weapon development, while seeking Seoul's support to resolve the issue of the past abduction of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang, the sources said.
As Japan and South Korea mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties next year, the leaders are set to agree to maintain close communication and boost exchanges in political, business and cultural fields, they added.
On Wednesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa reaffirmed with her South Korean counterpart Cho Tae Yul that their countries will work together toward the trilateral summit, "which is currently under coordination to be held," her ministry said.
The Kishida-Yoon meeting, meanwhile, would take place after Japan's communications ministry earlier this year urged LY Corp., the operator of the popular Line messaging app, to strengthen the protection of users' personal data in the wake of a massive data breach.
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also said the app provider relies heavily on Naver Corp. of South Korea, a major shareholder of LY, to operate the app system and lacked appropriate countermeasures against cyberattacks.
With the ministry's call to review the capital relationship between LY and Naver triggering a backlash in South Korea, Kishida and Yoon may touch on the issue during their upcoming meeting, the sources said.
