Moon Jae-in and Shinzo Abe agree to resolve bilateral issues

In a brief talk held in Bangkok on November 4 between the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, and the South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, they agreed to resolve the sidelined issues through dialogue, the Moon Jae-in government announced later after considering the relationship with the neighbouring country in a difficult situation.

The conversation was “very friendly and serious”

In the 11-minute conversation, the leaders of both nations re-established the importance of the bilateral relationship between both countries. The face to face talk was “very friendly and serious”, and engaged in the sidelines of ASEAN Plus Three summit in Bangkok as told by the spokeswoman of the South Korean Presidential office. However, she did not have any conclusions from the small conversation.

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Both agreed to resolve bilateral concerns

The spokeswoman further mentioned that both the leaders share the same view that Korea-Japan relations are important and both nations will try to resolve bilateral issues through dialogue. She further added that South Korean President is willing to engage in a high-level meeting with Japan if required. However, in response, Abe said that the neighbouring countries should utilise all the available means to find solutions to resolve the sidelined issues. 

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Tokyo and Seoul suffers worst of its times

The leaders engaged in a dialogue when both Tokyo and Seoul are facing twin challenges, from North Korea, which threatens to use its nuclear armament and the increasing assertiveness of China. The relationship between Tokyo and Seoul suffers worst of its time due to wartime compensation which has led to trade conflict. According to the reports both leaders met at 8:35 a.m.on Monday morning before the commencement of the ASEAN summit. This was the first time the leaders of the nations engaged in one on one conversation in 13 months.

The ASEAN summit

The 16th ASEAN-India Summit, the 14th East Asia Summit and the third summit meeting of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are held in Bangkok in Thailand. The annual ASEAN summit, a grouping of 10 influential countries, is taking place amid China's aggressive behaviour in the disputed South China Sea as well as in the Indo-Pacific region. The powerful grouping will have separate summits with its dialogue partners like India, the US, Japan, Russia, and China.

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