Seoul:South Korea and Japan should work to build stronger bilateral ties while remembering their shared history, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party said Thursday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Rep. Kim Min-seok made these remarks during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Mizushima at the National Assembly. He noted the resumption of shuttle diplomacy between the two countries.
Kim emphasized the importance of not forgetting the past while also placing importance on the present and building the future. He referred to the ideal vision laid out in the 1998 Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration, which was a joint declaration signed by then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to overcome past grievances and build new relations.
He expressed hope that the two countries will further expand cooperation in politics, the economy, culture, and other areas.
In response, Mizushima pledged to continue efforts to develop "stable, future-oriented relations" between the two countries.