What did National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik say about Korea-Japan historical issues?

Cho said Korea and Japan must resolve historical issues and sincerely reflect on the past if their ties are to continue and advance. He also said parliamentary exchanges should remain a solid pillar of the relationship.

What meeting did Cho Jeong-sik hold with Japan’s ambassador?

Cho met Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima at the National Assembly on Friday. During the meeting, he stressed the importance of keeping dialogue between the two countries’ parliaments.

What did Japan’s ambassador say about future Korea-Japan relations?

Mizushima said Tokyo hopes to pursue future-oriented and stable ties with Seoul based on trust. He also said trilateral cooperation with the United States is becoming more important and asked for Cho’s support.

Nat'l Assembly speaker calls for resolving historical issues to advance Korea-Japan ties

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Summary

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik on Friday urged Korea and Japan to address historical issues and reflect on the past to advance bilateral ties. He made the call during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador Koichi Mizushima at the National Assembly. Cho said parliamentary exchanges should remain a solid pillar of relations and pointed to the 1998 joint declaration by Kim Dae-jung and Keizo Obuchi. Mizushima said Tokyo hopes for future-oriented and stable ties with Seoul based on trust.

Key Facts

Cho met Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima at the National Assembly on Friday.
Cho said the two countries must resolve historical issues and make efforts toward the future for Korea-Japan ties to continue and advance.
Cho cited the 1998 joint declaration by then Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi as an example of a future-oriented relationship.
Mizushima said Tokyo hopes to pursue future-oriented and stable ties with Seoul based on their relationship of trust.
Mizushima also emphasized the growing importance of trilateral cooperation with the United States.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 4, 2026 2:48 pm KST

Korean National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, right, shakes hands with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima during their meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik on Friday urged Korea and Japan to address historical issues and sincerely reflect on the past to further advance their bilateral ties.

Cho made the call during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima at the National Assembly, stressing the importance of maintaining exchanges between the countries' parliaments.

"For Korea-Japan ties to continue and advance, we must resolve historical issues and make efforts toward the future," Cho said at the meeting.

"The parliaments of the two countries have a tradition of maintaining dialogue even during difficult periods in Korea-Japan relations," he added, stressing that this tradition of parliamentary exchanges must serve as a "solid pillar" of bilateral ties.

He also expressed hope that bilateral relations will continue to move toward the future based on "sincere reflection" on the past, as demonstrated by the 1998 joint declaration announced by then Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi that called for the two nations to build a future-oriented relationship.

In response, Mizushima said Tokyo hopes to pursue "future-oriented and stable" ties with Seoul based on their relationship of trust.

The Japanese envoy emphasized the growing importance of trilateral cooperation with the United States, voicing hope for Cho's support for such cooperation.

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