Roh, Koizumi Meet on Summit Sidelines

President Roh Moo-hyun and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had a bilateral meeting on the afternoon of November 18 at BEXCO, Busan where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit was held.

In the 20-minute meeting, the two leaders were reported to have exchanged opinions on Japan’s perception of history, including the prime minister’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

They also discussed possible follow-up measures of the six-party talks for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

The two reportedly supported the joint statement reached in September (in the fourth round of the six-party talks) and reached a consensus that close cooperation between the two countries was needed for resolution of North Korea’s nuclear issues and progress of the six-way talks.

It was the eighth meeting between the two leaders since inauguration of the Roh administration.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com