South Korea, Japan discuss ways of strengthening economic ties

Seoul, Aug 21 (IANS) Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok met new Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Mizushima on Wednesday, and they discussed ways to bolster bilateral economic ties, officials said.

During the meeting, Choi told Mizushima that South Korea and Japan are "important trade partners to each other," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said, reports Yonhap news agency.

The bilateral financial ministerial dialogue, which resumed in 2023 after a seven-year hiatus, has proven to be an effective platform for Seoul and Tokyo to exchange experiences on economic and tax policies, Choi said.

Choi also asked Japan to pay close attention to next year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which will be held in South Korea.

Choi also shared efforts to have the country's government bond market included in the World Government Bond Index run by FTSE Russell, with Mizushima acknowledging that Seoul has made progress in making its market more accessible to foreign investors.

"The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation and communications to improve their ties ahead of the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of bilateral relations," the ministry said.

Mizushima began his tenure as Japan's top envoy to Seoul in May.