By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol met with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima at the Government Complex-Seoul on September 16. The two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral economic cooperation and strengthen policy coordination.

DPM Koo expressed his appreciation for Ambassador Mizushima’s congratulatory remarks on his inauguration and conveyed his hope that the two neighboring countries would engage in more frequent communication.

He also noted that the Korea-Japan summit held on August 23 served as a successful milestone for expanding bilateral economic cooperation, including in future industries, and proposed further collaboration in emerging sectors such as hydrogen and artificial intelligence.

Ambassador Mizushima shared the view on the importance of Korea-Japan economic cooperation and expressed his hope that the follow-up measures would proceed without setbacks.

DPM Koo noted that the two finance authorities are in discussions on convening the Korea-Japan Finance Ministerial Dialogue, and requested the Japanese government’s support for the successful hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting and Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting to be held in Korea this October.

He also stressed the need to bolster bilateral ties in major multilateral fora such as ASEAN+3 and the G20, particularly amid growing uncertainty in the international order. Ambassador Mizushima expressed his hope to maintain continued dialogue so that the two countries can further enhance their cooperation within the global community.

Lastly, DPM Koo and Ambassador Mizushima shared the view that it is important to sustain the momentum of shuttle diplomacy, which was restored through the Korea-Japan summit held on August 23, across various areas including social and economic affairs.