ID :
40150
Mon, 01/12/2009 - 10:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/40150
The shortlink copeid
Lee, Aso agree to improve ties, cooperate on economic issues
(ATTN: COMBINES with previous story moved at 10:25 a.m. KST under same slug; UPDATES
with additional remarks from Lee, Aso)
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- Recurring disputes over history between South Korea
and Japan will not prevent the two nations from cooperating to overcome the
economic downturn threatening to pull them into an unprecedented recession, the
heads of the countries said Monday.
"There have been difficult times due to various reasons, but when we look back we
see there was never a time when we moved backward, though there were times when
we wavered," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said during a joint press
conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso.
The leaders of South Korea and Japan have held regular meetings in what is known
as "shuttle diplomacy," but the meetings have often been postponed or canceled
due to recurring tension over what is believed to be Tokyo's attempt to whitewash
its World War II atrocities.
The Lee-Aso meeting, the fifth of its kind since the Japanese prime minister took
office in September, came after Japan announced plans to conduct an underwater
survey in waters between the two nations. The announcement was seen here as
another attempt by Japan to lay claim to a set of South Korean islets in the East
Sea.
Aso said the issue was not discussed during his summit with the South Korean
president, adding they both agreed on the need to further develop bilateral
relations.
The economy topped the summit's agenda as the countries struggle to stave off a
looming global recession.
Lee said he and Aso agreed to coordinate their countries' economic policies to
help maximize their impact.
"In particular, we agreed to closely cooperate on reforming our financial
systems, drawing up macroeconomic policies and in dealing with protective trade
blocs ahead of the G-20 summit scheduled to be held in London in April," the
South Korean president told the press conference.
As a first move to increase cooperation and narrow trade deficits, Seoul has
agreed to actively support Japanese investment in the parts and materials sector,
which was largely blamed for Seoul's US$30-billion trade deficit with Japan in
2008, Lee said.
"The government has already designated several industrial complexes, including
the one in Gumi, for the parts and materials industries and it will continue to
support advances by Japanese firms into those complexes," he said.
Monday's meeting also came amid gloomy projections that the world economy could
face one of the worst recessions in history this year, bringing down with it
Japan and Korea, the world's second and 12th largest economies, respectively.
To offset possible short-term liquidity crises in either of the countries, Seoul
and Tokyo have raised the ceiling of their foreign currency swap lines to US$30
billion from $13 billion.
"We agreed that the expansion of the foreign currency swap lines between Korea
and Japan late last year greatly contributed to the stabilization of financial
markets in the region, as well as the strengthening of financial cooperation
between the two countries," Lee said.
The two leaders also agreed to continue discussions through working-level
officials on the possible resumption of talks aimed at concluding a free trade
agreement, according to Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
Seoul and Tokyo previously held several rounds of preliminary discussions on
signing the envisioned deal but the talks were suspended in 2004.
"The leaders expressed hope the negotiations will produce an outcome that is
mutually beneficial to both countries," Cheong Wa Dae said in a released
statement.
The Japanese prime minister noted he and Lee reaffirmed the countries' commitment
to multilateral negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear ambition.
"We exchanged our honest views on North Korea. The president and I reaffirmed our
basic principle to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambition through
the six-party talks and agreed to work closely with the new Obama administration
in the United States," Aso said at the press conference.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
with additional remarks from Lee, Aso)
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- Recurring disputes over history between South Korea
and Japan will not prevent the two nations from cooperating to overcome the
economic downturn threatening to pull them into an unprecedented recession, the
heads of the countries said Monday.
"There have been difficult times due to various reasons, but when we look back we
see there was never a time when we moved backward, though there were times when
we wavered," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said during a joint press
conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso.
The leaders of South Korea and Japan have held regular meetings in what is known
as "shuttle diplomacy," but the meetings have often been postponed or canceled
due to recurring tension over what is believed to be Tokyo's attempt to whitewash
its World War II atrocities.
The Lee-Aso meeting, the fifth of its kind since the Japanese prime minister took
office in September, came after Japan announced plans to conduct an underwater
survey in waters between the two nations. The announcement was seen here as
another attempt by Japan to lay claim to a set of South Korean islets in the East
Sea.
Aso said the issue was not discussed during his summit with the South Korean
president, adding they both agreed on the need to further develop bilateral
relations.
The economy topped the summit's agenda as the countries struggle to stave off a
looming global recession.
Lee said he and Aso agreed to coordinate their countries' economic policies to
help maximize their impact.
"In particular, we agreed to closely cooperate on reforming our financial
systems, drawing up macroeconomic policies and in dealing with protective trade
blocs ahead of the G-20 summit scheduled to be held in London in April," the
South Korean president told the press conference.
As a first move to increase cooperation and narrow trade deficits, Seoul has
agreed to actively support Japanese investment in the parts and materials sector,
which was largely blamed for Seoul's US$30-billion trade deficit with Japan in
2008, Lee said.
"The government has already designated several industrial complexes, including
the one in Gumi, for the parts and materials industries and it will continue to
support advances by Japanese firms into those complexes," he said.
Monday's meeting also came amid gloomy projections that the world economy could
face one of the worst recessions in history this year, bringing down with it
Japan and Korea, the world's second and 12th largest economies, respectively.
To offset possible short-term liquidity crises in either of the countries, Seoul
and Tokyo have raised the ceiling of their foreign currency swap lines to US$30
billion from $13 billion.
"We agreed that the expansion of the foreign currency swap lines between Korea
and Japan late last year greatly contributed to the stabilization of financial
markets in the region, as well as the strengthening of financial cooperation
between the two countries," Lee said.
The two leaders also agreed to continue discussions through working-level
officials on the possible resumption of talks aimed at concluding a free trade
agreement, according to Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
Seoul and Tokyo previously held several rounds of preliminary discussions on
signing the envisioned deal but the talks were suspended in 2004.
"The leaders expressed hope the negotiations will produce an outcome that is
mutually beneficial to both countries," Cheong Wa Dae said in a released
statement.
The Japanese prime minister noted he and Lee reaffirmed the countries' commitment
to multilateral negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear ambition.
"We exchanged our honest views on North Korea. The president and I reaffirmed our
basic principle to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambition through
the six-party talks and agreed to work closely with the new Obama administration
in the United States," Aso said at the press conference.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
