Tokyo, Seoul plan first summit since isle row

DHAKA: Japan and South Korea are planning a formal summit later this month, the first meeting since President Lee Myung-Bak angered Tokyo with a surprise visit to a disputed island chain, a report said on Sunday.

Lee’s visit to the islands, which lie between the two countries and are known by South Korea as the Dokdo Islands and by Japan as the Takeshima Islands, badly damaged relations between Tokyo and Seoul in August.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Lee held informal talks in September on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum but have not held a formal summit since the rekindled territorial dispute.

A one-on-one meeting is being planned for the sidelines of a series of meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh on November 18-20, Kyodo News agency said, citing Japanese government sources, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1529 HRS, NOV 11, 2012
Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor