TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru and his South Korean counterpart, Han Duk-soo, agreed Thursday to cooperate over North Korea affairs, in their first talks, held over the phone, since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached earlier this month.

Han has been standing in for Yoon, after the president was suspended from duties following his impeachment Saturday.

In the 20-minute phone talks, Ishiba and Han agreed that Japan and South Korea will maintain and further develop their relations, and keep in close communication.

They reconfirmed the significance of maintaining close cooperation between Japan and South Korea and among the two plus United States over matters including North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.

Han emphasized that his nation’s basic policy to continue developing its relations with Japan remains unchanged.

Ishiba and Han agreed to advance preparations for exchange programs scheduled for next year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of the two nations’ diplomatic relations. They shared the view that these programs are important for the future of the two countries and their people.

“The significance of Japan-South Korea ties has not changed at all,” Ishiba told reporters after the phone talks.

“We hope to boost cooperation in various fields,” he added.

JIJI Press