Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Mizushima speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at his official residence in Seoul, in this file photo taken Aug. 26, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Mizushima on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of the bilateral relations between South Korea and Japan despite the political turmoil surrounding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his brief martial law bid.
Mizushima made the remarks in his New Year’s message, voicing hope that the two countries will continue to move forward in advancing their ties this year as it marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.
“The political situation in South Korea remains very fluid since the December declaration of martial law, but the importance of the Japan-Korea relations remains unchanged,” he said in a posting on the Japanese Embassy’s social media account on X, formerly Twitter.
“Looking back on last year, it was a very fruitful year for the Japan-Korea relations … I hope this year will be a year where Japan and Korea join hands and move toward a better future together,” Mizushima said.
He stressed the people-to-people exchanges as a key element that buttresses mutual understanding and hoped to expand cooperation in areas that include security and economy.
Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have significantly warmed since Yoon announced a decision in March last year to compensate Korean wartime forced labor victims without contributions from responsible Japanese companies.
The decision has led to the resumption of regular visits between the two countries’ leaders and exchanges in the private sector.
Mizushima also expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the victims in Sunday’s deadly plane crash in South Korea’s southwestern county of Muan, which claimed 179 lives.
(Yonhap)
