Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Congratulations on the launch of the new Cabinet...Future-oriented cooperative relationship efforts"

The government has emphasized its efforts for future-oriented cooperative relations with the election of Shigeru Ishiba as Japan's new prime minister.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Jae-woong told a regular briefing that he congratulated the new Liberal Democratic Party president Ishiba on being elected as Japan's 102nd cabinet prime minister and the launch of a new cabinet.

In the meantime, the Korean government will continue to work closely with the new Prime Minister Ishiba and the new Cabinet to create a future-oriented cooperative relationship between Korea and Japan in all areas, including security, economy and the global agenda.

However, he avoided an immediate answer, saying he had nothing to say at this stage about the South Korean government's position on the "Asian version of NATO" initiative that Prime Minister Ishiba said.