South Korean speaker pledges to sustain parliamentary ties with Japan
Cho Jeong-sik links future ties to resolving historical issues, while Koichi Mizushima backs stable relations and three-way co-operation with the United States.
- South Korean National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik pledged to maintain active exchanges with Japanese lawmakers during a meeting with Japan's ambassador to South Korea.
- Cho emphasized that progress in the bilateral relationship requires addressing historical issues while also pursuing future-oriented cooperation.
- The Japanese ambassador echoed the desire for stable, future-looking relations, noting the growing importance of trilateral cooperation involving South Korea, Japan, and the United States.
South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik has pledged to keep exchanges with Japanese lawmakers active.
He said communication between the two legislatures had continued through difficult phases in wider bilateral relations.
Cho made the commitment on Friday (September 4) after welcoming Koichi Mizushima, Japan’s ambassador to South Korea, to the National Assembly for a courtesy meeting in Seoul.
He said progress in the relationship would have to combine steps addressing historical issues with joint efforts focused on the future.
Mizushima said he wanted stable relations that looked to the future.
He characterised South Korea and Japan as important partners and added that co-operation involving both countries and the United States was gaining importance.
Cho has won a National Assembly seat six times and became Speaker in June.
He is a Democratic Party of Korea member with close ties to President Lee Jae-myung and is well acquainted with matters involving Japan.
Within parliament, he advises a parliamentary group of South Korean lawmakers working to promote relations with Japan and chairs a comparable body for South Korea-US ties.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
