Lee and Japan PM Takaichi hold summit in Andong amid North Korea, Middle East talks

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi headed home Wednesday after a two-day visit to South Korea's Andong, the hometown of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, where the two held a bilateral summit. A vehicle carrying the prime minister left a hotel in Andong, 190 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at around 8:50 a.m., heading to Daegu International Airport, where she will board a plane bound for Japan. Police and security officials were deployed around the hotel, while citizens and reporters gathered to see Takaichi off as she departed for the airport. After arriving in Andong the previous day, the two leaders held a summit, attended a banquet dinner and watched a performance, as the two countries seek to establish "shuttle diplomacy" aimed at fostering close cooperation and exchanges. Takaichi's visit reciprocated Lee's trip in January to her hometown, Nara Prefecture, where the two last met. During Tuesday's summit, Lee and Takaichi agreed to strengthen cooperation in supply chains, and in securing crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies amid concerns over supply disruptions stemmin

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held their fourth meeting in about six months on Tuesday, underscoring the need for greater cooperation between the historical Asian rivals amid global challenges, including the Iran war. Lee hosted Takaichi in his hometown of Andong, a southeastern South Korean city famous for its centuries-old traditional folk village, a Unesco World Heritage site. In January, the two met in Takaichi’s hometown of Nara, an ancient...

The decision to hold Tuesday's Korea-Japan summit outside of Seoul and instead in the southeastern city of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, was no logistical coincidence. From the venue and cultural program to the menu and gifts exchanged, nearly every element of the summit was designed to showcase Korea’s traditional heritage and frame the meeting through culture as much as diplomacy. Andong, President Lee Jae Myung’s hometown, is widely regarded as one of Korea’s most traditional cities. Home to the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Hahoe Folk Village, Confucian academies and centuries-old clan houses, it has long been considered a custodian of Korea's cultural spirit. That symbolism was central to this week’s summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The visit also carried personal significance. It came as a return visit after Lee traveled to Nara Prefecture — Takaichi’s hometown and political base — in January. The presidential office described the exchange as the first realization of “mutual hometown visits” between the two leaders, adding a personal dime

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met in Lee’s hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday, reflecting deepening bilateral ties through continued summit diplomacy since Lee took office in June last year. The Andong summit was part of the two leaders’ reciprocal hometown visits, following Lee’s trip to Nara Prefecture in Japan in January. It also marked Lee and Takaichi’s third meeting. Their first encounter occurred in October 2025 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The three summits also brought Lee’s total number of one-on-one meetings with Japanese leaders to six since taking office, with the first three held with Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. “The reciprocal summit diplomacy is expanding its stage from Gyeongju to various regional cities such as Nara and Andong,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. “It is expected to further deepen the strong bond and trust between the two leaders, while strengthening the foundations of future-oriente

President Lee Jae Myung held a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday in his hometown of Andong to discuss a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, likely including North Korea and the U.S.-Iran war in the Middle East. The two leaders began a small-group meeting at a hotel in downtown Andong, about 190 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to be followed by an expanded meeting and a joint press announcement on the outcome of their talks, according to the presidential office. Takaichi arrived at Daegu International Airport shortly before noon for a two-day trip, reciprocating Lee's visit to her hometown of Nara Prefecture in January when the two last met in person as part of the neighboring countries' ongoing "shuttle diplomacy." After emerging from her plane with a bright smile, the Japanese leader was received by South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina before heading to Andong. Around 170 police officers and 40 patrol cars and motorcycles were deployed at and around the airport to ensure safety during Takaichi's arrival. Shortly after her arrival

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived Tuesday at an airport in the South Korean city of Daegu for a two-day trip that will include a summit with President Lee Jae Myung in his hometown of Andong. Lee and Takaichi are scheduled to hold talks in Andong, about 190 kilometers southeast of Seoul, later in the day, which are expected to cover a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including North Korea and the prolonged U.S.-Iran war in the Middle East. Takaichi's trip reciprocates Lee's visit to her hometown of Nara Prefecture in January when the two last met in person as part of the neighboring countries' ongoing "shuttle diplomacy." An aircraft carrying Takaichi landed at Daegu International Airport at 11:53 a.m. and she emerged from the plane 10 minutes later with a bright smile, bowing and waving. As military guards of honor welcomed her, Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina received her before an escorted vehicle took her toward a hotel in Andong, where she is scheduled hold talks with Lee. Around 170 police officers and 40 patrol cars and motorcycles were deployed at an