S. Korea, China, Japan to hold summit in Tokyo next week

May 1, 2018

SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Tokyo next week for trilateral talks with the Chinese and Japanese leaders, his office announced Tuesday.

Moon agreed to sit down with Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.

It would be Moon’s first trip to Japan since taking office a year ago.

Moon will also become the first South Korean president to travel there in six years and five months after former President Lee Myung-bak’s visit.

The last summit among the three regional powers was held in Seoul in November 2015 amid China’s tepid stance.

“President Moon plans to give a briefing on the results of the inter-Korean summit and provide consultation on ways to further strengthen cooperation among the three countries for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of peace,” Kim said.

On the sidelines of the event, Moon will hold one-on-one talks with Abe. They had four rounds of bilateral meetings largely on the margins of international meetings, most recently during the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February.