Japan, S. Korea agree to work closely over N. Korea ship sinking+

TORONTO, June 26 Kyodo -
Japan and South Korea agreed Saturday to continue their cooperation in dealing
with North Korea at the U.N. Security Council over the sinking of a South
Korean warship, allegedly by a North Korea torpedo, when their leaders met on
the fringes of a Group of 20 summit meeting, a Japanese official said.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak
reached an agreement that Tokyo and Seoul, as well as the United States, should
closely coordinate their response in the U.N. council, the official said.
At the outset of their meeting, Kan described the fatal sinking of the naval
vessel Cheonan as ''intolerable'' and told Lee that such an act ''poses a
threat to peace and security in the region.''
Lee expressed gratitude for the proactive support from Tokyo, as well as the
United States, in addressing the problem.
Lee also thanked Kan for playing a leading role in drafting a Group of Eight
statement condemning North Korea's act. The document was released Saturday
following the G-8 summit held in the Canadian resort town of Huntsville on
Friday and Saturday.
Kan told Lee that he was pleased to find that leaders from Britain, Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States agreed on the
statement reflecting the strong remarks that the Japanese prime minister made
in a speech at the discussions on Saturday morning, the official said.
Kan, who took office earlier this month following the abrupt resignation of his
predecessor Yukio Hatoyama, also told Lee that he hopes to build
future-oriented relations with South Korea, while looking back on the past.
''This year marks an important year in Japan-South Korea relations,'' Kan was
quoted by the official as telling Lee. ''I will not turn my eyes away from the
past and...I would like to build a friendly relationship by giving thought to
bilateral ties for the next 100 years.''
Lee noted that it is important for the two Asian neighbors to move toward the
future while reflecting on the past, the official said.
During the 35-minute talks, Kan also expressed hope for an early resumption of
the suspended preliminary talks on a free trade accord between the two
countries.
But Lee did not give a clear answer on the matter, apparently mirroring Seoul's
reluctance about reopening the negotiations due to wide differences between the
two countries over the issue.
Turning to the World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa, where South Korea
failed to advance to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 defeat to Uruguay in a match
played shortly before their talks, Lee told Kan that he wishes fellow Asian
team Japan would move on to the last eight.
Kan showed his appreciation and told Lee that he will convey the message to the
Japanese team. Japan will play Paraguay in a second-round match on Tuesday.
The G-20 economies are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China,
France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
==Kyodo
2010-06-27 22:34:50


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