S. Korea, Japan hold vice minister-level strategic dialogue in Tokyo

South Korea's First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yun-ju visited Japan on Monday for the Korea-Japan Vice Minister Strategic Dialogue with Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Korea-Japan Vice Minister Strategic Dialogue is a high-level consultative body established by the two countries' foreign affairs authorities to hold wide-ranging discussions on bilateral relations, regional developments and international issues. It was formally launched in 2005 to give Seoul and Tokyo a broader framework for dialogue and cooperation on regional and global matters.

The latest meeting comes roughly a year after the previous session was held in Seoul in November last year. The two sides are expected to review a broad range of issues related to advancing bilateral ties, as well as coordinate intensively on Korean Peninsula security cooperation — including the North Korea question — in light of recent developments.

"At the Korea-Japan Vice Minister Strategic Dialogue, we plan to exchange views broadly on a wide range of issues, including not only the bilateral relationship but also regional and global matters," a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said.