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Ishiba reaffirms intent to keep good Seoul-Tokyo ties in meeting with Korean foreign minister

Published: 30 Jul. 2025, 18:00

Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on July 29. [NEWS1]

Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday, during which the Japanese leader reaffirmed his intent to maintain and further develop good relations with Seoul.

Ishiba made the remarks during his 15-minute meeting with Cho at the prime minister's residence earlier in the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said during a press briefing.

"While maintaining and building on the favorable momentum in Korea-Japan relations, I also intend to advance cooperation among Korea, the U.S. and Japan," Ishiba was quoted as saying.

Hayashi said he believes the two countries have been communicating closely since the Lee Jae Myung administration took office, describing Korea and Japan as "important neighbors and partners" on many international issues.

Cho arrived in Tokyo on his first overseas trip since taking office last week. Cho is scheduled to fly directly to Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later this week.

Cho held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya the previous day, during which he highlighted Korea's efforts to bolster ties with "friendly nations" under the Lee government, signaling an intent to maintain the thaw in bilateral relations with Japan.

Yonhap