By Yi Whan-woo
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday the government remains open to a possible Korea-Japan summit.
It also said nothing has been determined as to when President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might meet.
The comments came after the Japanese media reported that a Seoul-Tokyo summit may take place in autumn, possibly in September.
“We have very little to say when the two leaders will meet because nothing has been determined in relation to such a date,” a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
“We have remained unchanged in our view that we’re open to a Korea-Japan summit. And we have consistently stressed that the summit should contribute to sustainable and trustworthy relations between the two countries in the long-term,” he added.
In its report Tuesday, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun said its government is considering holding bilateral talks between Park and Abe on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting in late September.
The newspaper added such talks also could take place on the sidelines of the envisioned Korea-Japan-China summit.
During trilateral foreign ministerial talks in March, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his two counterparts ― Fumio Kishida of Japan and Wang Yi of China ― agreed to hold a three-way meeting of their leaders in the near future as part of efforts to promote cooperation.
It has been speculated that autumn may be an appropriate time for Park, Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping to get together.
Kyodo News Agency reported that Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama raised the possibility of a bilateral Seoul-Tokyo summit during a lecture in Tokyo, Monday.
According to the Japanese media outlet, Sugiyama speculated the summit could take place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting and possible Korea-Japan-China summit.
Speculation over a Korea-Japan summit has grown since June 22 when Park and Abe took reconciliatory gestures in the wake of frayed Seoul-Tokyo ties.
Park attended a reception hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to commemorate the Korea-Japan treaty on June 22, 1965 to re-establish their diplomatic relations. Abe also joined a reception at the Korean Embassy in Tokyo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic treaty.