President Lee Received Extra Lessons on US Tariff Negotiations at Korea-Japan Summit

【Financial News Tokyo (Japan)=Seo Young-jun Reporter】 President Lee Jae-myung focused on finding clues about US tariff negotiations during the Korea-Japan summit with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. President Lee is set to move to the United States after completing his visit to Japan to hold a summit with President Donald Trump.
Wi Sung-rak, Director of National Security, held a briefing at a press center set up in a hotel in Tokyo, Japan, on the 24th, stating, "A significant amount of time was spent on US relations and tariff negotiations during the small group talks between the two leaders."
Prime Minister Ishiba had a summit with President Trump in the United States last February, with tariff negotiations as a major agenda. Therefore, it is evaluated that this served as an opportunity for President Lee to reference President Trump's negotiation style, whom he is meeting for the first time.
Director Wi explained, "There were many discussions related to tariffs, mainly in the form of Japan sharing its experiences and insights with us," adding, "It was very helpful to us, and the President asked additional questions, leading to such discussions."
In addition to tariff negotiations, President Lee exchanged broad and in-depth opinions with Prime Minister Ishiba on the development of bilateral relations, practical cooperation, and cooperation at regional and global levels during the Korea-Japan summit.
The two leaders discussed practical cooperation measures that would be mutually beneficial and helpful in various fields such as economy, society, culture, and environment. Specifically, they discussed cooperation in future industries such as hydrogen and artificial intelligence (AI), the launch of a consultative body for cooperation on common social issues faced by both countries such as low birthrate and aging population, and measures to promote human exchanges such as expanding the number of working holiday participants.
Korea and Japan announced the results of the summit in a document. It is the first time in 17 years since 2003 that both countries have issued a joint declaration. Director Wi stated, "Since President Lee is resuming shuttle diplomacy after a long time, he instructed that it would be good to create a joint document," adding, "The working-level officials consulted with the Japanese side, and the announcement was made after going through the results."
President Lee is determined to solidify the Korea-US-Japan trilateral cooperation based on a firm commitment to Korea-Japan cooperation. President Lee emphasized, "In the rapidly changing international situation, unwavering Korea-Japan and Korea-US-Japan cooperation is more important than anything else, and we agreed to create a virtuous cycle where the development of Korea-Japan relations leads to the strengthening of Korea-US-Japan cooperation."
Meanwhile, President Lee is scheduled to move to the United States to hold a summit with President Trump on the 25th. He will then attend a business roundtable event with business figures from both Korea and the US and deliver a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the US. On the last day of his tour, the 26th, he plans to visit the Philadelphia Shipyard acquired by Hanwha in Pennsylvania.

syj@fnnews.com Seo Young-jun Reporter