South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday at a press conference to mark the second anniversary of his presidency that his country and Japan are ready to move forward based on mutual trust built over the years, while noting historical issues may act as a hindrance.
"There are discrepancies between the stances of the peoples of South Korea and Japan over historical and other issues. But, regarding South Korea-Japan ties, we should think about what to do for our future generations," Yoon said.
He added that the two countries must cooperate in dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons development and securing leadership in the global community.
Yoon's People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat in a general election on April 10, with the main opposition Democratic Party and its affiliate retaining a parliamentary majority.
Bilateral ties, which have improved since Yoon took office on May 10, 2022, hit their lowest point after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered two Japanese companies to compensate South Korean plaintiffs over wartime forced labor.
In March 2023, Yoon's administration decided to compensate the plaintiffs in a series of cases involving forced labor during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945 with money from a South Korean government-backed fund, rather than seeking restitution directly from the Japanese companies that were sued.
On Thursday, Yoon made an address ahead of the press conference and announced a plan to establish a new ministry to tackle the country's low fertility rate, which marked a fresh record low of 0.72 in 2023.
"In order to overcome the problem of the low fertility rate, which is considered a national emergency, we will implement all of the nation's capabilities," Yoon said while vowing to carry out a range of policies, including those designed to ensure a better work-life balance for workers and greater parental leave flexibility.
He asked the opposition-controlled National Assembly to actively cooperate with him in revising a law so that the new ministry could be launched.
Besides those held with foreign leaders, the press conference was the first held by Yoon since August 2022, which marked his first 100 days in office. Yoon has been criticized for not speaking with enough reporters and answering their questions.
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