S. KOREA-JAPAN HOLD SUMMIT

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The leaders of Korea and Japan met for the first time in two years and nine months in New York City on the sidelines of the U.N. general assembly. At the summit, which was uncertain until the last minute, both leaders saw the need to resolve pending issues to improve bilateral relations. The Korean president's office said that it was meaningful that the first step was taken toward solving the issues. President Yoon also met with U.S. President Joe Biden several times during his visit to London as well as New York for the UN General Assembly and reportedly discussed various bilateral issues including the Inflation Reduction Act.

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The first Seoul-Tokyo summit in two years and nine months was held in New York on the sidelines of the UN general assembly. It was an informal meeting without set agendas that lasted roughly 30 minutes. According to the nation's top Office President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed on the need to improve bilateral relations by resolving pending issues. The two leaders will also instruct authorities to speed up dialogues between foreign ministries and continue communications. Although they did not specify pending issues, they likely included the thorniest problem: wartime forced labor compensation. While the duo failed to reach a concrete agreement, Seoul's top office said the summit was meaningful as the first step towards resolving the issue. It was unclear until the last minute whether the summit would actually take place, because South Korea announced first that a meeting has been arranged while Japan claimed nothing has been fixed. The fact that the summit took place reflects the two leaders' determination to solve pending issues and improve relations. They shared grave concerns over North Korea's nuclear program and agreed to work closely with the international community. President Yoon also held talks with President Joe Biden for about a minute at a function in New York. According to Seoul's top office, the two leaders had already met several times in London on September 18th and in New York City on the 21st. They discussed many issues including the Inflation Reduction Act, collaborating on financial stabilization, and ways to deter North Korea's attacks.