Anchor: President Lee Jae Myung has begun visits to Japan and the United States for summit talks. Ahead of his trip to Japan, Lee said he hopes the visit will help revive shuttle diplomacy and cement the groundwork for future-oriented cooperation with Tokyo.
 Our Yun Sohyang reports.

Report: President Lee Jae Myung, accompanied by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung, departed from Seoul Air Base Saturday morning and arrived in Japan.

Lee is set to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the afternoon, followed by a dinner banquet. It will be their second summit after meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June.

The meeting is seen as a step toward reviving shuttle diplomacy between the two countries.

In a written interview with Japanese newspapers published just before his departure, Lee expressed hope that the visit will help cement a foundation for future-oriented cooperation.

Lee said he hopes to work with Ishiba on drafting a new joint declaration on bilateral ties, one that would build on and upgrade the 1998 declaration signed by then-President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.

He also proposed creating a new regional economic body among Pacific Rim countries, raising speculation that discussions could touch on South Korea’s potential bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.

On Sunday, Lee will meet with key members of the Japanese Diet before heading to the United States for a three-day visit.

His schedule there includes a meeting with Korean residents and then a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, local time. Discussions are expected to focus on follow-ups to the two countries’ tariff agreement and the modernization of the Korea-U.S. alliance.

During his stay, Lee will also meet with business leaders and academics, and travel to Philadelphia to inspect a shipyard, before returning to Seoul early Thursday, Korea Standard Time.

Yun Sohyang, KBS World Radio News.