President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reportedly agreed on the need to quickly resolve the issue of compensation for Japan’s wartime forced labor during their summit on Sunday.

Briefing reporters on the outcome of the bilateral summit, a presidential official on Wednesday said the two leaders had a candid discussion on the historical issue as well as North Korea and other regional and global issues during their first formal summit in Cambodia.

Noting an amicable atmosphere, the official said no concrete measures on the forced labor issue were addressed but the two sides confirmed that negotiations were under way, and both Yoon and Kishida were receiving updates as possible solutions were being narrowed down. 

The official added that the two leaders would pay more attention to the issue to accelerate consultations and quickly resolve the longstanding source of tension in order to improve bilateral relations.