The United States and Japan on Wednesday congratulated South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung and stressed the continuity of the trilateral partnership between South Korea, the US and Japan.
US President Donald Trump’s administration voiced its expectations for strong cooperation in various areas, especially security and the economy.
“The alliance between the United States and South Korea, which is rooted in our mutual defense treaty, shared values and deep economic ties, is ironclad. We are also modernizing our alliance to meet the demands of today’s strategic environment and respond to emerging economic challenges,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an official statement.
The secretary reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen the trilateral cooperation with Japan to reinforce regional security, enhance economic resilience, and uphold democratic principles.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also welcomed the election of Lee as South Korea’s next president and said he hoped to work closely with him to promote active exchanges between the two countries.
Emphasizing the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Seoul and Tokyo, Ishiba expressed his hopes to work with Lee to overcome many common challenges, including a rapidly declining birth rate, aging populations, concentration of populations in metropolitan areas, foreign affairs and security policies with their respective alliances with the US.
“On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, I would like to promote bilateral and trilateral cooperation with President Lee Jae-myung,” said Ishiba.
“Japan sincerely wishes to build stronger ties with South Korea, including those in the private sector. The government will be committed to supporting such efforts,” he added.
The prime minister also showed his willingness for an early meeting with Lee, saying, “It would be best to hold a bilateral summit between South Korea and Japan as soon as possible.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping also showed a great interest in strengthening China-South Korea ties in his congratulatory message.
"China and South Korea are important neighbors and cooperative partners, who established diplomatic relations 33 years ago. Two countries have overcome differences in ideology and social systems to make achievements that led to stable and constructive development,” Xi said.
“We hope to uphold the goal of mutual benefit, and a ‘win-win’ from bilateral cooperation and bring greater benefits to the people from both countries,” he added.
While congratulating Lee on his election victory, both European Council President Antonio Costa and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoped to cooperate closely to further strengthen the strategic partnership with South Korea.
Lee was elected president in Tuesday’s presidential election in South Korea, with conservative party candidate Kim Moon-soo conceding defeat and congratulating his opponent.
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com
