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Drum Diplomacy Caps Nara Summit as Japan and South Korea Pledge Deeper Cooperation

Working-level talks to identify 1942 Chosei mine victims signal a practical track for historical issues.

Overview

  • A video released by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office shows her and President Lee Jae Myung drumming to BTS’s “Dynamite” and “Golden” from K‑Pop Demon Hunters after their talks in Nara.
  • The leaders committed to continued shuttle diplomacy and a “future‑oriented” agenda covering security coordination, economic ties and supply chain resilience.
  • Seoul and Tokyo opened working‑level consultations, including DNA analysis, to identify Korean forced‑labor victims from the 1942 Chosei undersea coal mine disaster in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
  • Officials and media cast the jam session as cultural diplomacy while both governments seek closer cooperation on North Korea, organized crime and a trilateral framework with the United States.
  • Lee underscored the push for warmer ties in a follow‑up meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, calling for a mutually beneficial relationship.