Top Japan, S Korea diplomats to pursue stable development of ties
During their phone talks, Iwaya and Cho also affirmed the importance of cooperating not only bilaterally and also trilaterally with their common ally, the United States, "under the current strategic environment," according to the Foreign Ministry.
Iwaya was quoted as saying he hopes to work closely with Cho, who took office on Monday, to address issues related to North Korea, including its nuclear and missile development and past abductions of Japanese nationals.
Cho, a former South Korean ambassador to the United Nations, was appointed to his current post by President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in early June following the impeachment and removal of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, for having briefly imposed martial law last December.
Japan-South Korea ties, long strained over historical grievances including a wartime labor dispute, had improved after Yoon became president in 2022, a period that also saw deepened security cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
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