TOKYO — South Korea and Japan should collaborate more on advanced technology, climate change and economic security, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday, looking ahead after the two sides agreed to put aside rancor over trade and historical issues.
“I think there is a lot of room for cooperation between the two countries in future high-tech new industries such as digital transformation, semiconductors, batteries, and electric vehicles,” Yoon told a gathering in Tokyo of business leaders from both countries.
“The governments of the two countries will do everything to help you interact freely and create innovative business opportunities,” Yoon said.
The meeting followed talks between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday that sought to turn a page on the longstanding grievances that have divided the two U.S. allies. South Korea and Japan are seeking now to form a united front, driven by shared concerns over North Korea, China and Russia.
During Yoon’s visit, the first such formal summit hosted by Japan in 12 years, South Korea announced it was dropping its complaint to the World Trade Organization alleging Japan’s unfair trade practices, while Tokyo said it will lift the export controls on high-tech goods crucial for computer-chips production, imposed in 2019, on shipments to South Korea.
Yoon Suk Yeol was the guest of honor at the Tokyo “business round-table” over a lunch of French cuisine attended by about a dozen business leaders from both nations.
Reiji Takehara, director of the International Cooperation Bureau at Keidanren, said the mood was very positive at Friday’s hour-and-a-half-long meeting, which was closed to media except for the opening remarks.
“There was a lot of laughter, and everyone was friendly. We didn’t sense even a tiny bit of tension,” Takehara told reporters.
The South Korean group was led by Kim Byong-joon, acting chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, the nation’s top business group, who traveled with Yoon. Executives from Samsung Electronics, Hyundai and LG were also part of the entourage.
Yoon joked about his love for Japanese food and stressed there was “light at the end of a long tunnel” of troubled relations, according to a Japanese official who briefed reporters after the meeting at Keidanren Kaikan, the headquarters of Japan’s top business lobby.
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