
South Korea President Lee, Japan PM Ishiba agree to strengthen ties
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said he wanted to deal with geopolitical crises through three-way cooperation with Tokyo and Washington. (EPA Images pic)
SEOUL : South Korea's newly-elected President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed during a telephone call to strengthen bilateral ties, a South Korean presidential spokesman and Japan's foreign ministry said today.
The call comes after the two leaders said they aimed for their countries to continue coordination on North Korea issues.
Lee, a left-leaning leader who was elected last week, has said pragmatism was key to his diplomacy and he would continue with security cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the US.
Lee told Ishiba that he wanted to deal with geopolitical crises within the framework of three-way cooperation with Tokyo and Washington, Kang Yoo-jung, Lee's spokesman, told reporters.
'Reaffirming the significance of bilateral ties, the two leaders agreed to meet in person to further develop relations,' Kang added.
Ishiba told Lee that he wished to further advance bilateral relations 'through mutual efforts based on the foundation built by both governments so far', according to a statement from Japan's foreign ministry.
'The call lasted for about 25 minutes,' the ministry said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
12 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
US intel chief denounces ‘warmongers' after Hiroshima visit
US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard visited Hiroshima ahead of the 80th anniversary of the world's only atomic bombings. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard warned Tuesday after a trip to Hiroshima that 'warmongers' were pushing the world to the brink of nuclear war, in an extraordinary, if veiled, pitch for diplomacy. Gabbard did not specify her concerns, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly brandished the spectre of nuclear war as he cautions Europe and the US against support for Ukraine. Gabbard, a former congresswoman who has faced criticism in the past for her views on Russia, posted a video of grisly footage from the world's first nuclear attack and of her staring reflectively at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. On Aug 6, 1945, the US obliterated Hiroshima, killing 140,000 in the explosion and by the end of the year from the uranium bomb's effects. Three days later, a US plane dropped a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki, leaving around 74,000 people dead by the end of the year. Japan surrendered on Aug 15. 'This one bomb that caused so much destruction in Hiroshima was tiny compared to today's nuclear bombs,' Gabbard said. 'A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions in just minutes.' 'As we stand here today closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elites and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers,' she said. 'Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to.' Taking a tone more customary for a politician or activist than the director of national intelligence, Gabbard said: 'So it's up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness.' Japanese media reports said the comments were 'extremely rare' for an incumbent US government official, and at odds with Washington's past justification of the bombings. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's top government spokesman, declined to comment directly on Gabbard's video. But he said an 'accurate understanding' of the destruction and suffering caused by atomic bombs would 'serve as the basis for various efforts toward nuclear disarmament'. 'It's important for Japan to continue its realistic, pragmatic efforts with the United States to realise a nuclear-free world, based on the belief that the carnage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki must not be repeated,' Hayashi said. Gabbard's remarks come as aides to President Donald Trump voice growing frustration with Putin, who has refused US-led, Ukraine-backed calls for a temporary ceasefire. Secretary of state Marco Rubio, whom Gabbard criticised before the two entered Trump's cabinet, has warned that the US could walk away from diplomacy over the Ukraine conflict if there are no positive signs. Gabbard, a former Democrat, faced a heated confirmation hearing but ultimately prevailed after Democrats and some Republicans questioned her past statements, including some supportive of Russian positions. She has said that the EU and Washington should have listened to Russian security concerns about Ukraine joining Nato. Gabbard's visit to Hiroshima comes ahead of the 80th anniversary of the world's only atomic bombings. The US has never apologised for the attacks.


Free Malaysia Today
12 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Improving ties with US will take time, says Russia
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that dialogue between Russia and the US has stalled. (EPA Images pic) MOSCOW : Talks between Russia and the US aimed at improving ties and removing 'irritants' in their relationship are not expected to yield quick results, the Kremlin said today. 'Well, let's say that there are a lot of blockages in bilateral relations. Of course, one can hardly hope for any quick results, but this is precisely the kind of complex step-by-step work that has begun and will continue,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, denying that dialogue had stalled. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the two countries have launched a series of contacts aimed at improving relations which the Kremlin had described as 'below zero' under the previous administration of Joe Biden. Both sides say there is huge potential for business and investment deals if relations improve. But Trump, despite holding four phone calls with president Vladimir Putin, has voiced frustration about Russia's war actions in Ukraine and the lack of any visible progress towards a peace deal. Russia's new ambassador to Washington said earlier today that US-Russia bilateral talks would soon move to Moscow from Istanbul. 'The recovery of Russian-American relations is still a long way off,' ambassador Alexander Darchiev told TASS news agency, adding that the rapprochement was being slowed by the so-called US 'deep state' and anti-Russian 'hawks' in congress.


Free Malaysia Today
14 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
S. Korea suspends loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North
Seoul resumed its round-the-clock campaign of loudspeaker broadcasts last July. (Yonhap/EPA Images pic) SEOUL : South Korea's military said today it had suspended loudspeaker broadcasts near the border targeting North Korea, nearly a year after resuming the propaganda and K-pop blasts during a time of growing tension with its neighbour. The step makes good on a promise by president Lee Jae-myung, who took office this month vowing to resume dialogue with the North, suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts and restore a suspended military pact with Pyongyang. In a statement, a defence ministry official said the move aims to 'fulfil the pledge to the public of restoring trust in inter-Korean relations and peace on the Korean peninsula'. Earlier, the Yonhap news agency quoted a military official as saying, 'Loudspeaker broadcasts were suspended following the order of higher-ups.' Seoul's resumption of its round-the-clock campaign of loudspeaker broadcasts last July was in response to Pyongyang's launch of balloons carrying trash over the border, the South's military said then. Pyongyang had said the balloons were retaliation for a propaganda campaign by North Korean defectors and activists in the South who regularly send inflatables with anti-Pyongyang leaflets and other items across the border. After taking the oath of office, Lee said the best security was peace with no need to fight, referring to South Korea's often violent ties with its rival and neighbour.