Japanese media have reported that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan is coordinating a visit to South Korea in January next year. However, the South Korean government has stated that “nothing has been decided.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea commented on November 28, “There is nothing decided about Prime Minister Ishiba’s visit to South Korea in January next year. The two leaders have agreed to continue shuttle diplomacy.”
On the same day, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported, citing multiple Japanese government officials, that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is coordinating a visit to South Korea in January next year for a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The newspaper noted, “If this schedule proceeds as planned, South Korea will become the first country Ishiba visits for bilateral diplomacy,” suggesting it demonstrates Japan’s emphasis on Korea.
Furthermore, the newspaper added that the three countries—South Korea, the United States, and Japan—are expected to reaffirm their cooperation ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump’s administration in the U.S. on January 20 next year.
A photograph showing President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba posing for a commemorative shot before a summit meeting in Lima, Peru, on the 16th (local time), was provided by Yonhap News.