South Korea, Japan, China Agree to Hold Trilateral Summit Soon

TOKYO: South Korea, Japan, and China have reached a consensus to convene a trilateral summit at the earliest possible date, with the meeting likely to occur early next year. This decision was announced by South Korea's foreign ministry following a meeting held in Tokyo. According to Yonhap News Agency, the agreement emerged from discussions among South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, Japan's Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi, and China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. The diplomats agreed to finalize specific dates for the summit, which is expected to take place in Japan. The previous summit, which occurred in Seoul in May, saw the leaders from the three nations commit to regularizing these trilateral meetings. The recent meeting in Tokyo further aimed to strengthen this commitment. In addition to the trilateral discussions, Chung engaged in separate talks with his Japanese counterpart to explore avenues for bilateral cooperation. These talks reportedly touched upon Jap an's adherence to recommendations concerning the Sado mine complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site, historically linked to the forced labor of Koreans during wartime, was designated as a World Heritage Site in July, following Japan's agreement to acknowledge its complete history. A memorial service honoring the victims of forced labor at the Sado mine complex is anticipated to occur within the year. The South Korean delegation has requested the presence of high-level Japanese officials at the service.