Lee, Ishiba to hold summit in Busan, reviving bilateral diplomacy

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands after finishing a joint press announcement following the Korea-Japan summit at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo, Aug. 23. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are set to meet in the southern port city of Busan on Tuesday, just a month after Lee’s trip to Tokyo in late August.

The meeting marks an attempt to reinvigorate and institutionalize “shuttle diplomacy” — which in Korean refers to bilateral state visits — initiated in 2004 by then-President Roh Moo-hyun with his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizumi.

After a decade-plus freeze prompted by historical disputes, the practice was revived in 2023 under then-President Yoon Suk Yeol. His administration, prioritizing a united front on security and economic issues over historical grievances, took decisive steps to restart high-level dialogue with Japan.

The presidential office said Monday that the Busan summit was arranged at Lee’s invitation, with the Japanese prime minister nearing the end of his term. The meeting is expected to focus on broadening Korea-Japan cooperation and strengthening ties with the United States in a trilateral framework.

“This will be the first time in 21 years that a Japanese prime minister has visited a Korean city other than Seoul for a summit, since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s trip to Jeju in July 2004 to meet President Roh Moo-hyun,” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said during a press briefing at the presidential office on Monday.

“The Busan summit highlights the shared will of both countries to cooperate on regional revitalization,” Wi added, explaining that the two leaders’ meeting venue in Busan highlights their shared policy focus on revitalizing regional development.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Wi said the summit agenda is expected to include discussions on “shared social challenges, such as population decline and regional revitalization, the operation of intergovernmental consultative bodies, and accelerating cooperation in future industries such as AI (artificial intelligence) and hydrogen.”

While the exact agenda has not been disclosed, topics are also expected to include follow-up discussions on U.S. tariff negotiations, North Korea’s denuclearization, coordination for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju and demographic challenges. The summit, framed as part of the effort to entrench bilateral diplomacy between the two nations, is expected to cover a wide range of issues.

Although Ishiba’s visit is formally classified as a working visit, the presidential office said it has carefully prepared a warmer welcome with official receptions, and the summit venue and social events will reflect the significance of the occasion. Wi added that the meeting is also expected to reaffirm Ishiba’s continued role in advancing Korea-Japan relations, even after he steps down as prime minister.

This visit will be Ishiba’s first to Korea since taking office — and his last as prime minister. He is scheduled to resign when Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party elects a new leader on Oct. 4.