한일 외교장관회담… 日 외무상 "트럼프 취임식 참석해 한미일 협력 중요성 전달할 것" The Japanese foreign minister is currently in Seoul for a two-day visit and discussed ways to develop bilateral cooperation with his South Korean counterpart, as well as trilateral cooperation with the United States ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next week. Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji reports. The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan sat down for talks in Seoul on Monday, as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties this year. South Korea's foreign minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya have held phone calls on two occasions since the brief imposition of martial law on December 3rd,.. but this is the first time they've met in person since the political turmoil. In a joint press conference, the two officials stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation, as well as the three-way cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and the United States. Iwaya, who's set to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony next week, said he plans to tell the incoming U.S. administration that trilateral cooperation is crucial. "If circumstances allow, I am currently coordinating to attend the U.S. presidential inauguration scheduled for January 20th. At the event, I intend to clearly convey to the new U.S. administration that the strategic cooperation between Japan, the U.S., and South Korea is more important than ever." Meanwhile, when asked how South Korea will handle the historical tensions between Seoul and Tokyo, which's been a thorn in diplomatic relations for decades, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said he plans to closely cooperate with his Japanese counterpart, to work towards developing a "future-oriented" relationship. "I plan to closely cooperate with Foreign Minister Iwaya to reduce the various disruptions in the bilateral relationship caused by historical issues, and work towards developing a future-oriented relationship." Before the meeting, the Japanese foreign minister visited the Seoul National Cemetery, and paid his respects to the fallen heroes. This marked the first time in almost seven years that a Japanese foreign minister has visited the burial ground to offer condolences which appears to be a move to show that Tokyo is willing to improve bilateral relations. The top Japanese diplomat is also expected to meet with Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday, before leaving Seoul. Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News. #SouthKorea #Japan #Foreign_Minister #ChoTaeyul #TakeshiIwaya #Meeting #대한민국 #일본 #외교_장관_회담 #조태열 #다케시이와야 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/arirangtvnews 📣 Twitter : https://twitter.com/arirangtvnews 📣 Homepage : https://v2.arirang.com/ 2025-01-13, 20:00 (KST)