1. First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, who is on a visit to Japan to attend the second vice foreign ministerial meeting among the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan, met bilaterally with Vice Minister Akitaka Saiki on January 16. In the meeting, the two Vice Ministers exchanged in-depth views on matters of mutual concern, including the ROK-Japan relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

* The meeting between the ROK and Japanese Vice Foreign Ministers marked the first of its kind since the former taking up the post on October 23, 2015.

2. The two Vice Ministers noted with appreciation that the ROK and Japan had successfully held their bilateral summit talks in November 2015 and had reached an agreement at the bilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting in December 2015 on the issue of “comfort women” drafted by Japan’s Imperial Army during World War II, thereby creating momentum for improvements in the bilateral relations. The two sides agreed to make joint efforts to establish trust and open a new chapter in the bilateral relations by building on the agreement on the “comfort women” issue.

3. Vice Minister Lim stressed that in order for the agreement on the “comfort women” issue to lead to a new chapter in the ROK-Japan relations, first and foremost, the agreement should be implemented in an unswerving manner and thereby facilitate the restoration of the honor and dignity of the victims and the healing of their wounds.

◦ The two Vice Ministers agreed to continue consultations in order to seek ways to thoroughly implement follow-up measures to the agreement reached on December 28, 2015.

4. The two Vice Ministers, sharing the view that North Korea’s fourth nuclear test is a grave threat to peace and security in Northeast Asia that should be responded to sternly, agreed to hold close bilateral consultations with each other as well as trilateral consultations with the US on North Korea and its nuclear issue.

5. Vice Minister Lim will return home after attending the ROK-US-Japan vice foreign ministerial meeting on January 16 and a meeting with correspondents in Tokyo on January 17.


* unofficial translation