Korea, Japan to Join Hands to Aid Afghanistan

President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will agree to launch joint projects to help rebuild Afghanistan in their bilateral summit slated for Monday in Seoul, the Japanese daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported yesterday.

Both sides will reportedly carry out joint projects in education and medical care, such as the construction of schools and hospitals in the war-torn country, through a partnership between the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

It is unprecedented for the two neighbors to jointly provide foreign aid. Their joint reconstruction efforts are seen as a gesture of showing their support for the incoming Obama administration in the United States, which has emphasized peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The two countries plan to include leaders of business communities in bilateral summits to help broaden the scope of diplomatic relations, the report added. The leaders of major Japanese business groups will accompany Aso in his upcoming visit to Korea.

jkmas@donga.com