South Korea, Japan Rebuild Ties in Face of North Korean Threat

Leaders of both nations hope to 'open a new chapter' in bilateral relations.

Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea's president, left, and Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, attend a joint news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan on March 16, 2023. Kiyoshi Ota/Pool/Getty Images

The leaders of Japan and South Korea have agreed to restore bilateral ties, including the “complete” normalizing of a military intelligence-sharing pact to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a summit in Tokyo on Thursday, where both promised to turn the page on years of animosity over their countries’ difficult, shared history.