Home > National > Diplomacy

Lee, Ishiba focus on shared challenges, regional development in Busan summit

Published: 30 Sep. 2025, 19:55 Updated: 01 Oct. 2025, 02:09

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

President Lee Jae Myung, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands ahead of their bilateral summit at Nurimaru APEC House in Busan on Sept. 30. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

BUSAN — President Lee Jae Myung and outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held a bilateral summit in Busan on Tuesday, focusing on expanding cooperation between the two countries on shared social challenges, promoting regional revitalization and advancing technologies such as AI and hydrogen energy.

"In many ways, Korea and Japan face similar challenges, one of which is the concentration of population in the metropolitan area," Lee said during the talks at Nurimaru APEC House, adding that he shares Ishiba's "keen interest in balanced regional development and local development."

This marked the first visit by a Japanese leader to a location other than Seoul in 21 years.

The two leaders discussed cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue, the evolving geopolitical and trade landscape and regional development initiatives, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a press briefing in Busan after the summit.

"I hope to forge close Korea-Japan relations, encompassing relatable social issues, economic concerns, security issues and even emotional bonds," Lee said, expressing his wishes that their summit will "serve as a cornerstone for creating a new Korea-Japan relationship."

Ishiba arrived in Korea earlier on Tuesday for a two-day working visit, reciprocating for Lee's trip to Japan last month, which provided an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss joint responses to the U.S.-led restructuring of the global trade order, as they face similar tariff blows and trade negotiation experiences.

The two leaders began their summit with a tour of Nurimaru APEC House, a venue built for the 2005 APEC summit on Busan's scenic Dongbaek Island.

Lee at one point joked that "it must have been faster" for the Japanese prime minister to arrive in Busan by plane from Tokyo than for him to come by the presidential train from Seoul.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, greets Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Nurimaru APEC House in Busan ahead of their bilateral summit on Sept. 30. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

"I hope that Korea and Japan, who are physically close, will truly grow closer emotionally, economically, socioculturally and in terms of security," Lee said during the start of their bilateral talks.

He highlighted that it was significant to hold the summit in Busan, noting that Ishiba has shown interest in "regional coexistence and development."

Through the Busan summit, the two leaders issued a joint document agreeing on how to operate a Korea-Japan consultative body to address common social issues, including low birthrates and aging populations, balanced national development, agriculture, disaster management and suicide prevention.

The body was launched following Lee and Ishiba's summit on Aug. 23 in Tokyo, where the two leaders agreed to jointly discuss and seek solutions to shared societal challenges.

Through the consultative body, the two governments will expand communication between Korean and Japanese officials in various fields and address shared social issues by strengthening multilayered connections and cooperation, according to the joint document.

President Lee Jae Myung, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, center, arrive at the Nurimaru APEC House in Busan on Sept. 30. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Consultations will be led by related ministries that will share their policy experiences and best practices, and when necessary, incorporate insights gained through the exchanges to contribute to each country's policy objectives.

Korea and Japan's foreign ministries will regularly hold bilateral consultations to oversee and coordinate the overall operation of the consultative body.

"Today's summit is the essence of 'shuttle diplomacy' that only Korea and Japan can achieve," Lee said during their summit talks. "Not only are Korea and Japan physically close, but I met Prime Minister Ishiba three times in just 100 days since taking office."

"I hope that we can build a stronger bilateral relationship by sharing wisdom and experience to address common social issues such as population decline, low birthrates and an aging population, concentration in the metropolitan area, and low self-sufficiency in agriculture, agricultural and fishery products and energy," Ishiba said.

Likewise, he expressed his hopes to resume a bilateral science and technology cooperation committee, which was launched in 1986 but suspended in 2011 due to strained bilateral relations.

Lee recalled his visit to Tokyo last month and recalled that the "food was really well prepared, especially the 'Ishiba curry,'" referring to the meal they shared.

Korean, Japanese leaders bond over Busan stroll, dinner of delicacies

The bilateral talks lasted 76 minutes. However, little was said to address the thorny historical disputes between the two countries stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over Korea.

"We must face the past squarely while continuing future-oriented cooperation," Lee told Ishiba, according to Kang. "If the results of cooperation between the two countries accumulate, it can create a virtuous cycle in which those results will have a positive effect on dialogue on historical matters."

Lee also explained his administration's efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions and build trust on the Korean Peninsula, and called for Japan's cooperation in achieving peace and denuclearization, Kang said. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and first lady Yoshiko Ishiba pay respects to Lee Soo-hyun, a Korean student who lost his life trying to save a Japanese man at a subway station in Tokyo in 2001, at a cemetery in Busan ahead of a summit with President Lee Jae Myung on Sept. 30. [YONHAP]

Ahead of the summit, Ishiba laid a wreath and paid respects at the grave of Lee Soo-hyun, a Korean student who died at the age of 26 after trying to save a Japanese man at a Tokyo subway station in 2001, who is remembered as a symbol of strong bilateral ties for his selfless action.

This marks the first time a sitting Japanese prime minister has visited Lee Soo-hyun's grave.

Later in the evening, President Lee hosted Ishiba and his wife for a dinner promoting friendly ties.

First lady Kim Hea Kyung was initially expected to join the friendly exchanges with the Japanese first couple, but the presidential office announced on early Tuesday that Kim had been diagnosed with otolithiasis, an ear condition that causes dizziness, preventing her from partaking in the events.

Japanese first lady Yoshiko Ishiba sent a message wishing Kim a speedy recovery.

Although Ishiba's visit was formally categorized as a working visit, the Korean government treated it with the protocol of a state visit to show courtesy to the Japanese leader, spokesperson Kang said, including a welcoming ceremony with an honor guard and events to strengthen friendship.

This marks the third meeting between Lee and Ishiba. The two leaders first met on the margins of the Group of 7 summit in Canada in June, shortly after Lee's election.

Ishiba announced his resignation earlier this month. His Liberal Democratic Party is set to pick a new leader on Oct. 4, with the selection likely to become Japan's next prime minister. Thus, his Busan visit marks his last diplomatic activity.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]