Yoon suk yeol

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands during their summit at the prime minister's residence in Tokyo Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS] Japan is finalizing preparations to invite Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the Group of Seven, or G7, summit in Hiroshima in May, according to Japanese media reports. The reports come after Yoon made a two-day visit to Tokyo for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Thursday, the first bilateral visit by a Korean leader in 12 years, signaling a thaw in relations frayed by historical disputes and a trade spat. Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, citing several government officials, reported Sunday that the Japanese government is working on the final details on an invitation for Yoon after the Korean government presented a solution to the forced labor compensation issue. It reported that the G7 summit will include a meeting for invited countries in addition to the member countries. Japan as … [Read more...] about Yoon may be invited to the G7 summit in Hiroshima

Macron forces through retirement plan President Emmanuel Macron pushed through contentious legislation to raise France’s retirement age — without a full vote in parliament. The decision inflamed tensions and set the stage for a no-confidence vote against his government. The move, which allows the retirement age to be raised to 64 from 62, drew calls for more protests after two months of mass demonstrations and strikes. In parliament, opposition lawmakers sang the national anthem and banged on their desks. On the streets, protesters pledged to continue the fight. Macron used a constitutional measure to enact the bill without putting it to a vote in the National Assembly, the lower and more powerful house of Parliament. The upper house, the Senate, approved the bill . Macron’s party and its allies hold only a slim majority in the National Assembly and did not have enough votes to pass the bill. The decision to avoid a vote is legal — but will be regarded by Macron’s … [Read more...] about Your Friday Briefing: Macron Pushes Through Pension Bill

To underscore the celebratory atmosphere surrounding the long-awaited visit by South Korea’s president this week, Japan’s prime minister hosted not just one, but two, dinners on Thursday night in Tokyo. Shortly after Yoon Suk Yeol, of South Korea, told reporters that “frozen ties should be thawed” and Fumio Kishida, of Japan, hailed “a new chapter” in their long-fraught relationship, they went with their wives to a traditional restaurant in Tokyo’s luxury Ginza district. The two leaders then broke off for a more casual meal of “omurice,” a popular dish of an omelet layered over fried rice. The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper, noted that Mr. Kishida and Mr. Yoon were so relaxed that they “reportedly took off their jackets and ties” as they ate and drank. Underlying the conviviality of the first bilateral summit to be held in Japan in a dozen years was the question of how long the fragile truce between the two countries will last. Both sides have made good-will … [Read more...] about Japan and South Korea Make Nice, but Can It Last?

Seoul’s initiative has helped set the stage for normalization in ties through the summit last week. Tokyo’s removal of export curbs as a process to restore Korea onto the “whitelist” of its trade partners and the Gsomia military intelligence-sharing pact have put their ties back on the normal footing in July 2019, which is before their relationship soured from the Korean Supreme Court ruling in favor of direct compensation by Japanese companies for Korean survivors of the wartime forced labor. But the gains from Tokyo cost a major political tradeoff for Yoon at home. His approval rating sank amid criticism over his “shameful diplomatic concessions.” The main opposition likened the president to Yi Wang-yong, the prime minister of late Joseon dynasty who illegally signed a treaty for Japan to annex Korea in 1910. How Tokyo would respond to Seoul’s grand gesture during the summit talks attracted keen attention from Koreans back home. Tokyo lifted the curbs on exports of wafer-making … [Read more...] about [Editorial] A step taken by Yoon for the future

Lee Ha-kyung The author is a senior columnist at the JoongAng Ilbo. President Yoon Suk Yeol has used up all his cards against Japan. He has been accused of starting the car with the doors open to break the ice with Tokyo by proposing to compensate the victims of the wartime forced labor through a public fund led by Korea on behalf of the Japanese companies. The move helped remove the biggest obstacle in bilateral relations and led to a summit in Tokyo for the first time in 12 years. Japan lifted curbs on its exports of chip-making materials to Korea and restored the General Security of Military Information Agreement (Gsomia) with Tokyo. But Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stopped short of mentioning the forced labor issue and skipped a formal apology. Japanese companies that have been ordered to pay damages won’t be joining the fund to compensate Korean victims, either. Tokyo has claimed a “complete victory” while Koreans feel the settlement “shameful.” The Korean … [Read more...] about [Column] Time for reconciliation and cooperation

March 21, 2023 09:48 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday invited President Yoon Suk-yeol to the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May. Presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon told reporters that the invitation is seen as a "positive outcome of the Korea-Japan summit" last week in Tokyo. Korea, Japan and the U.S. are apparently in talks to hold a three-way summit on the sidelines of the G7 meeting. Kishida, who is visiting New Delhi, said the leaders of Korea, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Morocco, Vietnam, and the Cook Islands as well as the heads of the International Monetary Fund and OECD have been invited to the G7 Summit. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said, "Through our government's participation in the G7 Summit, we expect to expand solidarity and cooperation with member countries that share universal values and to take part in efforts to resolve the complex and unprecedented global crisis." Korean, Japanese 1st Ladies Focus on 'Soft Diplomacy' … [Read more...] about Japan Invites Yoon to G7 Summit in May

The president has directly delivered his position on the issue to the general public for the first time since his administration announced the solution on March 6. He may have wanted to calm the deepening public criticism on the solution. We welcome his direct communication with the public as such an approach will certainly help them understand the context of a head of state making a bold decision to mend fences with Tokyo over the past. But regrettably, the president took the action more than two weeks after the government announced the solution to the wartime forced labor issue. If he had frankly told the people about his thoughts earlier, it could have eased the extreme division of the public. Also, it could have been better if Yoon had delivered his position through a Q&A session with the press instead of a one-sided delivery. Polls show that more Koreans are critical of the results of his summit with the Japanese prime minister than those approving of the meeting. Japan … [Read more...] about [Editorial] A belated — and one-sided — explanation

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails South Korea plans to lift its decades-long ban on public access to North Korean television, newspapers and other media as part of its efforts to promote mutual understanding between the rivals, officials said Friday, despite animosities over the North's recent missile tests. Divided along the world’s most heavily fortified border since 1948, the two Koreas prohibit their citizens from visiting each other’s territory and exchanging phone calls, emails and letters, and they block access to each other’s websites and TV stations. In a policy report to new President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it will gradually open the door for North Korean broadcasts, media and publications to try to boost mutual understanding, restore the Korean national identity and prepare for a future … [Read more...] about SKorea to lift ban on NKorea TV, newspapers despite tensions

March 17, 2023 10:39 First lady Kim Keon-hee, who is visiting Japan with President Yoon Suk-yeol, met with Japanese first lady Yukio Kishida on Thursday. The two women first socialized by making traditional Japanese sweets at the prime minister's residence in Tokyo. A government official said, "Ahead of this summit, the Japanese government took a close look at the tastes of the president and first lady and prepared events that symbolize the strengthening of bilateral friendship. They put in a lot of effort into 'soft diplomacy' between the two first ladies." The two first ladies also accompanied their husbands to a dinner of sukiyaki and shabu in a restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district. Presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon said, "According to Japanese practice it is rare for the first ladies to accompany the leaders, but Kishida made a special consideration for Yoon." They then moved on to a restaurant nearby that has been serving omurice or fried-rice omelets since … [Read more...] about Korean, Japanese 1st Ladies Focus on ‘Soft Diplomacy’

North Korea claimed Friday that its Thursday intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test was meant to “strike fear into the enemies,” according to The Associated Press. North Korea’s ICBM test was meant to put South Korea, Japan and the U.S. on notice, according to the AP . The strike was launched just before the South Korean-Japanese Tokyo summit meant to reestablish good relations and ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military drills in the peninsula. Japanese and South Korean assessments show the missile flew about 620 miles with a maximum altitude of 3,730 miles before landing between Korean and Japanese waters on a 70-minute flight, according to the AP. “The United States condemns the DPRK’s ballistic missile launch. This launch is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, and demonstrates the threat the DPRK’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to the DPRK’s neighbors, the region, international … [Read more...] about North Korea Says It Aimed To ‘Strike Fear Into The Enemies’ With Latest Missile Test