South Korea to host Japan PM as quasi-state guest for Andong summit
South Korea says Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will receive honours during a two-day visit centred on talks with President Lee Jae-myung.
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit Andong, South Korea, for a two-day summit with President Lee Jae-myung.
- Takaichi will be received with treatment "equivalent to that for a state guest," including a traditional honor guard and a military band.
- The summit is being held in President Lee's hometown, reciprocating an earlier visit by Lee to Takaichi's home prefecture in Japan.
- The meeting is intended to symbolize a "mature relationship" with frequent communication between the two countries.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be greeted with treatment “equivalent to that for a state guest” when she begins a two-day visit to South Korea on Tuesday, a South Korean presidential office spokesperson said on Sunday (May 17).
Takaichi is scheduled to land on Tuesday afternoon at Daegu International Airport in southeastern South Korea before travelling to Andong, in North Gyeongsang Province in eastern South Korea, the hometown of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
Lee and Takaichi will hold summit talks at a hotel in Andong.
The South Korean president will welcome her there with an honour guard in traditional attire and a military band, while national flag bearers will stand on both sides of the hotel entrance.
The meeting will be the sixth summit between Japanese and South Korean leaders since Lee’s administration began in June last year, and the first since Lee visited Takaichi’s home prefecture of Nara, in western Japan, in January.
Amid rapidly changing international circumstances, the talks are expected to symbolise a “mature relationship”, as described by a Japanese diplomatic source, in which the two countries maintain frequent communication even without major bilateral issues.
After the talks, the two leaders are due to attend a dinner featuring a traditional Andong chicken dish served to honour distinguished guests.
Traditional Andong liquor and sake from Nara will also be offered in the hope of harmony and friendship between the two countries, the spokesperson said.
Following the dinner, Lee and Takaichi are set to visit Hahoe Folk Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its traditional houses.
They will watch pansori, a traditional Korean musical performance, and a fireworks display dating back to the Joseon dynasty.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
