SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol has landed in Japan for a uncommon summit together with his Japanese counterpart, hours after a North Korean long-range missile launch demonstrated the international locations’ shared safety considerations.
Yoon arrived Thursday afternoon in Tokyo, the place he’ll maintain a one-on-one assembly with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Yoon’s go to to Japan is the primary by a South Korean president for a bilateral go to in 12 years. The journey goals to enhance ties which were hampered by historic disputes associated to Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula.
Last week, Yoon unveiled a plan to resolve one of many key sticking factors within the Japan-South Korea relationship – methods to compensate South Korean victims who have been conscripted into compelled labor by Japan.
Under Yoon’s plan, the victims can be compensated by a public basis funded by donations from South Korean corporations, with out the direct involvement of Japanese companies.
The plan has been closely criticized by South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party; a number of polls recommend about 60% of South Koreans oppose the proposal.
Yoon has defended the plan, saying South Korea and Japan want a extra forward-focused relationship that offers with frequent challenges, resembling China and North Korea.
In a reminder of shared threats, North Korea on Thursday launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed simply 250 kilometers west of Japan’s Oshima Island in Hokkaido Prefecture, based on Japanese officers.
No harm was reported from the missile, which fell exterior Japan’s unique financial zone, based on Japan’s protection ministry.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno condemned the launch as a “barbaric act.”
“We will confirm close cooperation with South Korea and the United States towards North Korea’s complete denuclearization at the Japan-South Korea summit today,” he added.
In a press release, a White House National Security Council spokesperson mentioned the United States “strongly condemns” the launch, which “needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.”
North Korea has not commented on the launch. It often doesn’t disclose particulars about its launches till the next morning in state media.
North Korea’s near-constant missile launches since early final yr have served as an everyday reminder of the risk posed by the nuclear-armed nation.
In 2022, North Korea launched greater than 90 missiles – by far probably the most it has ever fired in a single yr. Some of the missiles flew near South Korea and Japan, prompting shelter warnings and air raid alerts.
North Korea has performed three rounds of launches this week. On Tuesday, North Korea reported firing two medium-range ballistic missiles; on Monday, it claimed a profitable launch of two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine.
The North Korean launches additionally coincide with ongoing U.S.-South Korea army drills, which have been ramped up in response to North Korea’s elevated weapons exams.
Sunday, state media mentioned North Korean chief Kim Jong Un promised a strong response to U.S.-South Korean “war provocations,” which he mentioned have been nearing a “red line.”
U.S. and South Korean officers insist their army drills are defensive in nature and obligatory in an effort to keep army readiness.
North Korea additionally defends its launches as respectable acts of deterrence and self-defense. However, North Korea is prohibited from conducting any ballistic missile exercise beneath a sequence of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
In a press release after Thursday’s launch, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff mentioned Seoul and Washington would additional solidify their mixed protection posture “against any North Korean threats and provocations.”
South Korea’s President Yoon, in the meantime, mentioned North Korea will “certainly pay” for what he referred to as “reckless provocations,” noting that the newest launch demonstrated the necessity to reinforce safety cooperation with the United States and Japan.