Prior to the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, President Moon Jae-in held a series of brief meetings with the leaders of Indonesia, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Later, at 8:35 a.m., President Moon led Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over for an 11-minute one-on-one, impromptu meeting after the Japanese leader arrived at the Summit venue belatedly.

President Moon and Prime Minister Abe continued their conversation in a very friendly and earnest atmosphere.

Sharing the view that Korea-Japan relations are crucial, the two leaders reaffirmed the principle of resolving pending issues between the two countries through dialogue. 

Moreover, they expressed the hope that the recent consultations through official channels between the two countries’ ministries of Foreign Affairs would produce substantive measures to advance bilateral relations.

In addition, President Moon proposed examining the possibility of holding higher-level consultations as needed. In reply, Prime Minister Abe said efforts should be made to seek a solution through all available means.