Lee congratulates new Japanese PM Takaichi on election

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday congratulated Sanae Takaichi on her election as Japan's new prime minister and said he hopes to meet her at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in South Korea next week.

Lee posted the congratulatory message on Facebook hours after Takaichi was elected as Japan's first female prime minister.

"I hope to work with you to further strengthen future-oriented, mutually beneficial cooperation between our two nations and peoples," Lee wrote. "I also hope that, based on shuttle diplomacy, our leaders will continue to meet frequently and communicate closely."

Lee stressed the growing importance of Seoul-Tokyo relations amid shifting global dynamics, saying the two countries now stand "at a critical turning point."

"I look forward to seeing you in Gyeongju, where the upcoming APEC summit will be held, and to having constructive dialogue in person," he added.

The presidential office expressed hope to maintain the positive momentum in bilateral relations built under Takaichi's predecessors and to continue brisk exchanges between the two neighboring nations.

"Leaders of the Republic of Korea and Japan have advanced bilateral relations through trust and communication. Our government is to uphold the foundation of the improved ties and continue exchanges," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a briefing, referring to South Korea's official name.

Regarding the possibility of Takaichi's visit to South Korea for the upcoming APEC summit, Kang said working-level consultations are under way to arrange Lee's first summit with Takaichi during the multilateral forum, adding that Seoul expects such a meeting to take place.

In addition to the social media message, Lee plans to send a congratulatory letter via diplomatic channels to Takaichi, Kang noted.

Her election potentially casts uncertainty onto relations between Seoul and Tokyo, as it remains to be seen whether she will opt to follow the paths taken by her two predecessors, an approach that has led to a dramatic warming of the ties between the two neighbors.

Takaichi, a former economic security minister, is known for her hawkish stance on past history issues stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, as well as issues like Japan's territorial claim to South Korea's Dokdo islets.