S. Korea’s Lee hopes to improve ties with Japan for ‘friendly new world’
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South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung delivering his speech during an event marking Korea's 107th anniversary of the Independence Movement in Seoul, South Korea on March 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on March 1 called on Japan to maintain the recent thaw in ties to help usher in a “friendly new world” based on mutual understanding and reciprocal visits by each other’s leaders
In his first speech to commemorate the 1919 independence movement against Japan’s colonial rule since becoming President, Mr Lee reiterated the importance of cooperation between South Korea and Japan in the face of a rapidly shifting international landscape.
“Now, as we face the harsh international situation, is the very time for South Korea and Japan to respond to reality and open up the future together,” Mr Lee said, expressing willingness to pursue a pragmatic foreign policy approach.
He said the two countries, in the six decades since establishing diplomatic relations in December 1965, have already advanced ties as “close neighbours with a common front yard” across all areas, including the diplomatic, economic, social and cultural fields.
Mr Lee said the two countries should continue to create a “friendly new world based on genuine mutual understanding and empathy”, though some of the victims of the history between the two nations or the victims’ family members are still living.
Memories of Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 run deep and issues related to that period have weighed heavily on relations between Seoul and Tokyo.
But the two nations have seen a marked improvement in ties in recent years. In January, Mr Lee was hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi
During the March 1 speech, Mr Lee also emphasised the importance of harmony in North-east Asia, referring to his visits to China and Japan earlier in 2026 to find common ground among the three countries.
He also touched on the goal of building a peaceful Korean Peninsula, vowing to continue to seek the resumption of talks with North Korea while implementing pre-emptive measures to establish mutual trust between the two Koreas.
“We will make every effort to convert the armistice system to a peace regime by substantively easing tensions between the two Koreas and working with relevant countries,” said Mr Lee. KYODO NEWS
