President Lee Jae Myung has said it is not desirable to overturn the 2015 Seoul-Tokyo agreement on the Korean victims of Japanese military sexual slavery, as it is an intergovernmental commitment. 

The president made the remarks in an interview with Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun daily on Tuesday, ahead of his visit to Japan on Saturday and Sunday.

Lee also emphasized the importance of Japan to South Korea and vice versa, saying both sides should find mutually beneficial paths and expand areas of cooperation.

On historical issues such as military sexual slavery, Lee reportedly said it would be best if the two sides could recognize the reality as much as possible, make efforts to understand each other, and seek solutions without confrontation.

The Yomiuri cited Lee as saying he and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will discuss areas where the two nations can cooperate, such as economic, security and people-to-people exchanges.