Discussing Common Interests
The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) held a breakfast meeting with a Japanese delegation headed by Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, under the theme of industrial cooperation between Korea and Japan at Novotel Ambassador Yongsan, Seoul, on August 2.
This event was agreed between the two sides in June as Nikai proposed an exchange event with the Korean business community when Huh Chang-soo, chairman of the FKI, visited Japan in June.
About 300 people attended the meeting including 40 members of the Japanese Diet including Nikai and officials from the Liberal Democratic Party.
"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the declaration between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Obuchi which aimed to promote a new partnership between Korea and Japan," said Kim Yoon, chairman of Samyang Holdings and vice chairman of the FKI. “I hope to see Korea and Japan cooperate with each other as neighboring countries which share similar values regarding various issues facing the two countries such as labor shortage in Japan, youth unemployment in Korea, low birth rates, aging and peace in Northeast Asia. "
Nikai is the second highest member after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The FKI said that the pro-Nikai group participated in a training program for the first time in South Korea this year although the program had been carried out in Japan every year. It is said that the group chose South Korea as the location for the program in order to grasp the North Korean situation in addition to policy development.