Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha made a courtesy call on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this afternoon. At the meeting, she delivered a condolence message from President Moon Jae-in over the great loss of lives and property damage incurred by torrential downpours in western Japan. The Minister was in Tokyo to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had arrived the day before following his visit to North Korea.

In the message, President Moon offered his deepest sympathy on behalf of the Korean people, and Prime Minister Abe expressed his appreciation to the President and Korean Government for the sincere message of consolation.

In the message delivered by the Foreign Minister, President Moon wrote that Koreans can sympathize with the Japanese people as they too suffer from monsoon and torrential rains every year. The President also expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the victims of the current disaster, the bereaved families and the people of Japan.

The Foreign Minister also expressed her sincere wish that recovery work in the affected areas could be completed swiftly and that this difficult time would pass quickly. 

The Prime Minister replied that dangerous conditions still plagued some regions and that he would make every effort for restoration, once again expressing his appreciation to President Moon for offering sympathy and condolences.