1. Acting Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met on September 26 with Japanese participants in the Korea-Japan Business Conference, including Chairman of the Japan-Korea Economic Association Mikio Sasaki, and Chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association Kim Yoon, and exchanged views on ways to work together to enhance economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the ROK and Japan.

2. Acting Minister Cho took note that the Korea-Japan and Japan-Korea Economic Associations have significantly contributed to the development of the ROK-Japan relations, and the Korea-Japan Business Conference, co-hosted by the Associations, has been held every year alternately in the two countries since 1969.

o Acting Minister Cho asked members of the two Associations to discuss good ways to advance the ROK-Japan relations at this year and next year’s Korea-Japan Business Conference, with the Conference marking its 50th anniversary next year.

3. Acting Minister Cho said that considering the youth unemployment rate in the ROK and the labor shortage in Japan, economic cooperation to increase the number of Koreans working in Japan would benefit both countries most, and asked Japanese companies to propose concrete measures for cooperation.

o Chairman Sasaki said that the hiring of Korean interns by the Japan-Korea Economic Association’s branch in the ROK marks its third year, and that the branch will employ more Koreans.

o President of Aso Cement Aso (Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Aso’s younger brother) said that given the employment situation in both countries, it is really possible for Japanese companies to employ Korean talents, and hoped that the governments of the two countries will also provide necessary cooperation.

4. Acting Minister Cho hoped that the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games will help increase the number of Japanese visiting the ROK, which is not returning to normal levels, and asked Korean and Japanese companies to work together to further facilitate their joint entry into the markets of third countries.


* unofficial translation