S. Korea to Host Japan PM Takaichi as Quasi-State Guest

Seoul, May 17 (Jiji Press)–A South Korean presidential office spokesperson said Sunday that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be welcomed with treatment equivalent to that for a state guest during her two-day visit to the country from Tuesday. Takaichi will hold summit talks with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in the president’s hometown of Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, eastern South Korea, on Tuesday. The summit will be the sixth between Japanese and South Korean leaders since the launch of the Lee administration 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 meeting is expected to symbolize a “mature relationship,” as described by a Japanese diplomatic source, in which the two countries maintain frequent communication even in the absence of major bilateral issues. Takaichi is scheduled to arrive at Daegu International Airport in southeastern South Korea on Tuesday afternoon and travel to Andong. At the hotel where the summit talks will be held, Lee will welcome Takaichi alongside an honor guard in traditional attire and a military band. National flag bearers will line up on both sides of the hotel entrance. After their talks, the two leaders are scheduled to attend a dinner party, where a traditional chicken dish from Andong served to honor distinguished guests will be offered. In addition, traditional Andong liquor and sake from Nara will be served in hopes of harmony and friendship between the two countries, the spokesperson said. After the dinner, the leaders will visit the Hahoe Folk Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its traditional houses, where they will enjoy a traditional Korean musical performance called pansori and a fireworks display that dates back to the Joseon dynasty. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]