After attending the Japanese emperor's enthronment ceremony on Tuesday,... South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon met with young Japanese people and politicians as well as Korean nationals today.
With the schedule coming just a day ahead of his face-to-face with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Lee has emphasized that Seoul and Tokyo resolve the current issues diplomatically.
Lee Kyung-eun reports.
On his second day of a three-day trip in Japan, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon expressed faith in achieving dialogue.
Speaking to students at Keio University on Wednesday, Lee said that Seoul and Tokyo have been dealing with different interpretations of the1965 Korea-Japan Agreement,...since when it was signed.
But he said, whenever the two countries have clashed over the matter in the past, they have managed to resolve tensions through dialogue.
He added that the currently frayed bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo can be resolved diplomatically like before.
Prime Minister Lee also called for a future-oriented relationship between South Korea and Japan.
He said, given the two countries' precious history of 1-thousand-five hundred years in bilateral exchanges and cooperation, the present generation is responsible to resolve problems and conflicts between South Korea and Japan through dialogue and transform them into nations they can take pride in handing down to future generations.
A panel of students also held a Q&A session with the South Korean prime minister, where they asked about the feasible ways to sustain civil and cultural exchanges amid the current diplomatic fallout.
To those, Lee replied that political leaders should act more wisely.
At the end of the session, he handed out his business card to each student for them to send him any additional question. They all received a necktie as a gift, too.
In line with today's remarks, Lee has reiterated Seoul's stance on the importance of dialogue.
All eyes are now on his scheduled one-on-one with Japanese prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday at 11 A.M. local time.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.
