South Korea, Japan Hold Rare Summit to Mend Ties as Trade Rift Heals
- First formal summit in Japan in 12 years for two sides
- North Korea fires ICBM ahead of meeting to ratchet up pressure
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The leaders of South Korea and Japan pledged at a rare summit in Tokyo their readiness to end a long-simmering dispute that had hurt security and trade ties, and work with their mutual US ally to counter threats from the likes of North Korea.
President Yoon Suk Yeol smiled as he shook hands with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday at the first formal summit since 2011 between the neighbors held on Japanese soil. Before the two met, North Korea fired off an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry a nuclear warhead to the US mainland, underscoring the need for security cooperation.