Seoul-Tokyo Ties

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa invited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in a meeting in Tokyo. It’s still unclear if the Japanese leader will respond to the invitation. The PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games can be viewed as a test of the Moon Jae-in administration's foreign policy.

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In their meeting that lasted about 20 minutes, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa have agreed to further pressure North Korea to make it change its attitude.

[Soundbite] Shinzo Abe(Japanese Prime Minister) : "We must work with the international community to intensify pressure on North Korea to make it change its nuclear and missile policies."

[Soundbite] Kang Kyung-hwa(Min. of Foreign Affairs) : "Collaboration among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan as well as close cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo are very important in solving the North Korea nuclear issue."

Kang and Abe also discussed the restoration of shuttle diplomacy between South Korea and Japan. Kang Kyung-hwa conveyed to Shinzo Abe an invitation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games from President Moon Jae-in. The Japanese prime minister pledged maximum cooperation in the successful hosting of the Games. Sources say that the two also exchanged opinions on President Moon's possible visit to Japan in January next year before the Olympic Games. Prior to her meeting with Abe, Kang met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono to brief him about the taskforce on reviewing the "comfort women" deal with Japan.

[Soundbite] Kang Kyung-hwa(Min. of Foreign Affairs (Upon Arrival to Japan, Dec. 19)) : "What the "comfort women" taskforce does is not necessarily linked directly to the government's stance."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that South Korea and Japan had agreed to hold working-level talks on follow-up measures regarding the designation of Japan's modern industrial facilities such as the Battleship Island as UNESCO World Heritage sites.