President Joe Biden met the leaders of South Korea and Japan on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Madrid, in the first gathering of its type since 2017 as he bids to improve frosty ties between the two major US allies.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said strengthening cooperation between the countries was essential in dealing with challenges including North Korea, the foreign ministry said in a statement. The comments came even as his relations with new South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remain chilly.
