S. Korean Parliament Speaker Highlights Future, History with Japan

Seoul, Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Mizushima on Friday made a courtesy visit to South Korean National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, who took office in June. During their meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Cho emphasized that the sustainable development of South Korea-Japan relations requires cooperation for the future and efforts to resolve historical issues between the two nations. Mizushima expressed his willingness to establish stable and forward-looking bilateral ties. Cho, who has been elected six times and is familiar with Japan-related affairs, currently serves as an adviser to a group of South Korean lawmakers to promote bilateral ties with Japan, as well as the chair of a similar group for South Korea-U.S. relations. A member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Cho is close to President Lee Jae-myung. During Friday’s meeting, Cho noted that the parliaments of South Korea and Japan have maintained dialogue even when bilateral relations faced challenges. He vowed to support continuing active parliamentary exchanges. Describing the two nations as important partners, Mizushima said that trilateral cooperation among the two and the United States is also becoming increasingly important. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]