President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began their summit in Seoul on Friday.

The Japanese leader arrived at the Yongsan presidential office around 3:30 p.m., and the meeting started around 3:40 p.m.

Yoon and Kishida are expected to assess the progress of bilateral cooperation and discuss ways to promote further cooperation in both countries, as well as in the international arena.

In a statement issued earlier in the week, the top office said the meeting was arranged because Kishida wanted to visit Seoul before stepping down later this month.

This is their 12th summit since Yoon took office in May 2022.