South Korean president to meet Japanese PM in Japan ahead of US visit

SEOUL - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will visit Japan between Aug 23 and 24 and hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Mr Lee's office said at a briefing on Aug 13.

The leaders will discuss ways to improve regional peace and boost trilateral cooperation with Washington, Mr Kang Yoo-jung, Mr Lee’s spokesman, told reporters.

Mr Kang did not specify the date of the summit during Mr Lee's two-day visit.

Mr Lee has in the past been critical of efforts by administrations in Seoul to improve ties with Tokyo, though when he met Mr Ishiba for their first summit

on the sidelines of a G7 meeting

in Canada in June they vowed to deepen the relationship.

Ties between the US allies have often been strained, rooted in historical disputes stemming from Japan's colonial rule over the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

Their second summit meeting will also take place as the Asian economic powerhouses

grapple with the implications of US tariffs

imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Mr Lee’‘s trip to Japan comes just ahead of his visit to the US, where he is scheduled to hold a summit with Mr Trump on Aug 25. REUTERS