Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is to fly to Seoul for talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul amid the ongoing political crisis over martial law.
The talks are “expected to centre on discussions on efforts to continue the positive momentum for the bilateral relations that have significantly improved since” President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in 2022.
Before Yoon’s martial law decree, which has since been impeached, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he planned to travel to Seoul in early January. Ishiba also later spoke to acting president Han Duck Soo, who was also impeached.
Han was replaced by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is now in charge of South Korea’s public affairs as the new acting president.
After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul last week, Iwaya became the second high-ranking foreign official to visit South Korea since the martial law crisis began.
Tokyo and Seoul are two of the most important US allies in the region with both countries hosting thousands of American soldiers. The two Pacific nations will celebrate 60 years of normalised relations this year.
The foreign ministers of the two countries are expected to discuss holding a trilateral summit with their Chinese counterpart this year.
