FOCUS: Japan, S. Korea Leaders Promote Ties thru Hometown Visits

Andong, South Korea, May 20 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung have highlighted through their trips to each other's hometown improved bilateral ties amid the challenging security environment.

On Tuesday, Takaichi visited the city of Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, which is Lee's hometown, and held a bilateral summit with the South Korean leader. This came after Lee visited Takaichi's home prefecture of Nara in western Japan in January.

Japan-South Korea relations soured to the worst level since World War II after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation for wartime labor provided by Koreans.

Bilateral ties improved under Lee's predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative, who announced a solution to the issue in 2023.

Many were initially concerned about a possible diplomatic fallout from Lee, a reformist, becoming South Korea's president, given that he had repeatedly criticized Japan in the past.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]