On October 22, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon will represent our government and attend the crowning ceremony of King Naruhito in Tokyo, Japan. Prime Minister Lee is expected to meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his three-day trip to Japan.

This will be the first meeting of state representatives at the highest level since the Supreme Court ruling on forced labor during the Japanese occupation over a year ago, and attention is on whether it will be a breakthrough in improving bilateral relations.

On October 13, the Office of the Prime Minister announced, "Prime Minister Lee will visit Japan on October 22-24 to attend the crowning ceremony of King Naruhito." The prime minister will depart on October 22 and attend the crowning ceremony in the afternoon. The prime minister is expected to attend a banquet hosted by Prime Minister Abe on October 23, so the two men are expected to meet.

Reportedly, a separate meeting between Abe and Lee will be held. A government official said, "We plan to discuss the details, such as the time and method, with Japan."

If the meeting between Lee and Abe is held, Lee may deliver a message on the relationship between the two countries from President Moon Jae-in. The two men are expected to discuss bilateral issues, such as Japan's export control, a solution to the issue of forced labor, and the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) during the meeting.

This afternoon, the government officially informed Japan of the prime minister's attendance at the crowning ceremony.

However, even if the meeting is held, most experts believe that it will be difficult for the two men to make any progress in the relationship between South Korea and Japan, which is at its worst since diplomatic ties were established in 1965. Japan shows no sign of withdrawing its export control measures, and the two countries stand far apart on the issue of forced labor. There were expectations of President Moon attending the crowning ceremony, but reportedly, the government decided to have the prime minister attend the ceremony because it saw no change in attitude from Japan. On the prime minister's attendance at the crowning ceremony, Cheong Wa Dae said, "We hope it will help improve relations between South Korea and Japan," and added, "The government remains unchanged in its thought that a solution through dialogue is our best option."