South Korea President Lee, Japan PM Ishiba agree to strengthen ties, Asia News
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 spokesperson and Japan's foreign ministry said on Monday (June 9).
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 co-operation between South Korea, Japan and the United States.
Lee told Ishiba that he wanted to deal with geopolitical crises within the framework of three-way co-operation with Tokyo and Washington, Kang Yoo-jung, Lee's spokesperson, 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.
[[nid:717723]]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump wants to ‘liberate' Los Angeles, residents say ‘No thanks'
A neighbourhood known as Little Tokyo has been hit hardest by the unrest rocking Los Angeles. PHOTO: AFP LOS ANGELES – US President Donald Trump has said he sent in the National Guard and Marines to 'liberate' Los Angeles from the violence of protesters, but some residents of Little Tokyo, a neighbourhood hit hardest by the unrest, are saying: No thanks, Mr President. A dozen people who live, work or frequent the neighbourhood, where Japanese is heard spoken as frequently as English in shops and restaurants, told Reuters Mr Trump's use of the military was inflaming the protests against recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. 'The president sending in the National Guard and Marines has only made things worse. It's made the protesters go crazy,' said Ms Sulieti Havili, who lives nearby and helps run a Pokemon club with over 6,000 members that routinely plays in Little Tokyo. 'They are doing nothing to protect this community.' Ms Havili, 25, who was out picking up rubbish in Little Tokyo with her Pokemon club partner Nolberto Aguilar, 42, said it was clear to her that Mr Trump sending in thousands of military personnel 'brought out the worst in the protesters' and only served to aggravate the situation. Mr Aguilar added that Mr Trump's deployment of troops was thwarting the will of most Los Angeles residents and their local leaders, fanning the flames created by ICE immigration raids that he said targeted law-abiding immigrants. The Trump administration says its immigration raids are rounding up de facto criminals for lacking proper documents to stay in the United States. California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the use of military personnel to combat the protests has 'inflamed a combustible situation' and warned that 'democracy is under assault'. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has said Mr Trump's use of troops was a deliberate effort to create 'chaos'. The Trump administration strongly rejects the accusations and says their actions are needed in the face of local and state leaders' inability to get the situation under control. 'Instigating' action Little Tokyo, a charming neighbourhood with shops selling Japanese goods and restaurants serving up some of the city's finest sushi, abuts the federal buildings where protesters have gathered for five nights in a row. For the past two nights, when police and National Guard troops have forcibly dispersed protesters in the early evening, demonstrators scatter into smaller groups into Little Tokyo, which has been covered with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti. Running skirmishes well into the night in the neighbourhood has seen police use booming flash bangs and firing other 'less lethal' munitions at protesters. Artists and social activists clean graffiti after days of protests in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. PHOTO: REUTERS Several of those interviewed in Little Tokyo asked that they not be named, saying they feared reprisals from the federal government. Many were immigrants themselves or have family members who were not born in the US, and feared making themselves or their loved ones targets of ICE. One of those was Anthony, who works at a tea shop in the neighbourhood. 'There is no question that the president sending in thousands of National Guard and 700 Marines has done nothing but make the protesters more aggressive,' he said. 'It's instigating the protesters and making things worse.' Ms Samantha Lopez, a descendant of Filipino immigrants who works at a Korean ice cream parlour in Little Tokyo, said she felt empathy for the demonstrators but rejected any acts of vandalism or violence they carry out. Still, she blamed the use of military personnel for creating the unrest. 'It's just poor handling of protests that stay peaceful until they're confronted by officers,' Ms Lopez said. 'It's bad for business, and it's bad for this neighbourhood.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
At G-7 summit, S. Korea's President Lee faces delicate balance in US-China rivalry
South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung (left) at the Seoul National Cemetery on June 6. PHOTO: REUTERS – As South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung gears up for his international diplomacy debut at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit next week, all eyes are on whether he will be made to pick sides in the Sino-American rivalry. Mr Lee has acknowledged that the South Korea-US alliance remains the foundation of South Korea's diplomacy and security, and has pledged to strengthen the alliance along with the trilateral partnership with Japan. But he has also said South Korea should not be made to choose between the United States and China and 'put all our eggs in one basket'. Mr Lee was elected with a 49.42 per cent mandate in a snap election on June 3 after his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid saw the former leader deposed by the country's Constitutional Court. Mr Lee's win under the liberal flag, which traditionally prioritises relations with China and engagement with North Korea, has Washington watching his foreign policy directions closely, said Dr Lee Seong-hyon, a senior fellow at the Washington-based George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations. The previous conservative administration under Yoon had antagonised Beijing by openly taking sides with the US, and also seeding rife speculation of Chinese espionage and interference in South Korean domestic politics. During his election campaign, Mr Lee had taken a more centrist stance by repeatedly emphasising a non-committal 'pragmatic diplomacy' to maximise South Korea's national interests. Amid growing rivalry between the two superpowers, however, Mr Lee's vision, which requires a delicate balancing act between its biggest security ally, the US, and its largest trading partner, China, will likely be put to the test. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier cautioned allies against playing both sides by 'seeking both economic cooperation with China and defence cooperation with the United States', during his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defence and security forum, on May 31 in Singapore. Mr Hegseth had also urged allies to increase their defence spending as regional deterrence against China. Seoul's share of the defence cost-sharing for US troops stationed in South Korea has been a major bugbear of US President Donald Trump, who has said that 'money machine' South Korea can afford to pay much more. Recent leaked plans about the possibility of the US redeploying its forces stationed in South Korea to other parts of the Pacific to exercise 'strategic flexibility' in its plans to contain China, also called into question the commitment of US security in the region. South Korea's participation as an observing country at the G-7 summit on June 15-17 in Vancouver is, thus, seen as important. Issues related to China, Russia and North Korea are expected to feature high on the meeting agenda. Besides the US, other members of the political and economic forum are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Seoul is also pushing hard for a face-to-face meeting between Mr Lee and Mr Trump on the sidelines of the meeting to ride on the momentum of the first phone call between the two leaders that took place on June 6. The 20-minute courtesy call had ended with an agreement to meet in person at the earliest possible opportunity for more in-depth talks. The call had taken place later than usual – three days after Mr Lee was elected – causing concern when it had not happened. Past South Korean presidents had traditionally spoken to their biggest ally either on the day of their election or the day after. A cryptic congratulatory message issued by the White House after the election had affirmed the 'ironclad alliance' between the US and South Korea , before going on to express concern over 'Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world'. That had fuelled speculation that the message was a hint for the new Lee administration to distance itself from Beijing. While Washington does not expect Mr Lee's administration to 'diverge significantly from the established US-South Korea alliance framework', it will, nevertheless, be keenly watching any potential policy reversals, such as weakening ties with Japan while gravitating towards China and resuming inter-Korean engagement, Dr Lee told The Straits Times. Research fellow Lee Dong-gyu, from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, said the broaching of the idea of a US troop drawdown could be a diplomatic signal to South Korea to step up and play 'an augmented role' to contain China. 'But if the new government under Mr Lee pursues a revitalisation of South Korea-China relations, then it may result in the erosion of the US' containment efforts,' he said. While it is clear that President Lee's priority is in forging ties with Mr Trump and to iron out tariff negotiations before the July 9 deadline, rising tensions over Chinese-built structures in the South Korea-China Provisional Maritime Zone in the West Sea will also be an immediate test of his diplomacy tight-rope act, said international politics professor Mason Richey from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He added that Seoul needs to be prepared to respond strategically, and 'to be clear with China that even though they are economic partners, South Korea will not be easily bullied'. After his first phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 10, Mr Lee has called China an important partner to South Korea 'in all aspects, including economy and security' and that he looks forward to developing relations between Seoul and Beijing. Mr Lee has also asked China to play a constructive role for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, to which Mr Xi replied that promoting peace and stability on the peninsula was a matter of mutual interest to both South Korea and China. Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology's non-resident fellow, Dr Troy Stangarone, told ST that while the new administration's repairing of relations with China is a priority after the deterioration of ties under the previous Yoon administration, it will need to 'take a realistic view of the relationship'. He believes that Mr Lee would likely have a bit more time before being made to pick sides between the US and China at the G-7 summit, as South Korea is ultimately not a member country but just an observer. However, he warns that 'geostrategic shifts and US-China rivalry may create limits to improving relations with China'. 'The Lee administration should focus its efforts on maintaining good economic ties while also working to bring China back as a constructive partner for dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue,' he said. Wendy Teo is The Straits Times' South Korea correspondent based in Seoul. She covers issues concerning the two Koreas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
12 hours ago
- AsiaOne
South Korean military suspends loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North Korea, Asia News
SEOUL — South Korea's military said on Wednesday (June 11) 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. [[nid:716536]]
