IANS | 26 Apr, 2024
South Korea and Japan could consider adopting a simplified entry
procedure for people travelling between the two countries, as an effort
to keep the momentum going in the dramatic improvement in bilateral
relations, a Seoul official said Friday.
The official suggested as one of the possibilities that the two
neighbours could explore, likening the idea to the Schengen Agreement in
Europe that allows nationals of the signatory countries and eligible
members to travel freely without border checks, Yonhap news agency
reported.
Next year could serve as an occasion for such
discussions, as Seoul and Tokyo are to mark the 60th anniversary of the
establishment of their diplomatic relations, the official said in a
session with reporters.
"The 60th anniversary can be another very
important momentum. We should institutionalise the overall exchanges,
and economic cooperation in a way that they won't be damaged, while we
continue to sternly address the historical issues," the official said on
the condition of anonymity.
"Simplifying the entry procedure is
among those, and there is a considerable shared understanding in Japan
(about this). I believe we need to make various efforts to find the
common ground between South Korea and Japan," the official said.
However,
the foreign ministry said that no discussions are underway at the
government level regarding a potential easing of entry procedures.
The
official noted that South Korea and Japan now share strategic interests
in many areas, such as the Indo-Pacific region and advanced
technologies, highlighting the need for follow-up steps to move the
relationship forward.
The official expected that the bilateral
partnership fund, established between the countries' two largest
business lobbies, should see a significant increase in contributions
from Japanese companies.
The Federation of Korean Industries and
the Japan Business Federation launched the fund in May last year to
promote private exchanges, as a follow-up to the leaders' March summit
that came after Seoul's announcement that it would compensate the Korean
victims of Japan's wartime forced labour on its own without involving
Japanese firms.
The decision by the Yoon Suk Yeol government has
led to a dramatic warming of bilateral relations, resuming the "shuttle
diplomacy" between leaders and the removal of Japan's export controls on
South Korean industries.