Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday met with a delegation from a Japanese committee dedicated to South Korea-Japan Cooperation.

According to the prime minister’s office on Wednesday, Han met with the Japanese delegates, including the committee’s acting chief Hirofumi Nakasone, and exchanged opinions on ways to improve Seoul-Tokyo relations. The head of the South Korean side of the Cooperation Committee, Lee Dae-sun, also attended the meeting.

The meeting was arranged a day after the two committees held a joint general meeting in Seoul for the first time in three years amid the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s efforts to enhance strained ties between South Korea and Japan.

Prime Minister Han congratulated the members of the two sides for successfully holding the meeting and assessed the two committees’ efforts to improve bilateral relations.

He also emphasized that the two countries which are close neighbors to each other and share values such as liberal democracy should work together and called for joint efforts for a future-oriented relations.

He mentioned this year marks the 25th anniversary of Seoul and Tokyo's Joint Declaration of 1998 between former President Kim Dae-jung and former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in developing future-oriented relations.

Source: KBS World Radio