President Lee Jae Myung is seen during the news conference with foreign media held at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Wednesday. (Pool photo via Yonhap)


South Korea and Japan have a number of contested, and unresolved issues but the two sides need to compartmentalize matters in developing b 바다신2다운로드 ilateral ties, President Lee Jae Myung said at Wednesday’s press conference with foreign media.
Saying that the two countries are inseparably connected economically and historically, Lee sai 바다이야기룰 d that areas that discord must not influence fields that need cooperation.
Q. There have been some reports suggesting that you may soon visit Japan. However, there have also been recent inst 모바일바다이야기 ances where defense cooperation between South Korea and Japan did not go smoothly.
For example, the issue of the Sado mine remains unresolved, with differing views between the two countries. 골드몽사이트
I would like to ask how you plan to overcome such issues and what direction you intend to take for future Korea–Japan relations.
A. Relations between countries are very complicate 골드몽 d—just like personal relationships.
Imagine you’re in a business partnership and your partner borrowed money but didn’t pay it back. Even then, you wouldn’t cut off all ties just because of that. You’d resolve that issue as it is, while continuing to cooperate on other things.
If we cut ties over every problem, in the end, we’d find ourselves isolated and alone.
I believe the same applies to Korea–Japan relations.
We are very close neighbors with inseparable geographical ties, and we also have deep historical, cultural, societal, and economic connections.
There’s a lot we can collaborate on.
The US and China, despite their serious tensions and confrontations, still cooperate and communicate in other areas. It’s the same for Korea and Japan.
There are emotional and practical conflicts surrounding Dokdo, but it's not really a current issue. Dokdo is clearly South Korean territory under effective control, so no matter what anyone says, the best response is simply to ignore it. That said, it still involves emotional sensitivities.
Past issues like the Sado mine have clearly not been resolved cleanly either.
Still, I believe we don't need to link those issues to everything else and give up on other areas.
Economic exchanges, security cooperation, civilian exchanges, and cultural cooperation can all continue.
We can pursue mutual benefits, not one-sided gains, and find ways to help each other while also discussing unresolved issues step by step.
I believe Korea–Japan cooperation must continue.
As I mentioned earlier, shuttle diplomacy should be ongoing, and since it’s now my turn to visit, I have expressed my intention to hold a Korea–Japan summit in the hometown of Prime Minister Takaichi, whom I deeply respect.
When we met in Africa, we were genuinely pleased to see each other, and we agreed to continue Korea–Japan cooperation.
I sincerely hope Korea–Japan relations will move forward in a positive, future-oriented direction.
And I will continue to work toward that goal.