South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are scheduled to meet in Andong next week, signaling a strategic shift toward “hometown diplomacy to Andong” to move the bilateral relationship beyond symbolic gestures and toward substantive economic and security cooperation.
The summit, announced Friday by senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, will take place in the North Gyeongsang Province city where President Lee was born and raised. The visit is designed to deepen personal trust between the two leaders through a series of one-on-one talks, a joint press conference, and a private fellowship program scheduled for Wednesday.
By moving the summit away from the formal settings of Seoul and Tokyo, the two administrations are attempting to institutionalize a more flexible form of “shuttle diplomacy.” This approach follows a reciprocal visit four months ago when President Lee traveled to Prime Minister Takaichi’s hometown in Nara Prefecture.
Energy security and the Hormuz crisis
While the setting is personal, the agenda is driven by urgent geopolitical pressures. The leaders are expected to prioritize energy supply security following the outbreak of conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran on Feb. 28, which has threatened the stability of the Strait of Hormuz.
Both nations are acutely vulnerable to disruptions in the Persian Gulf. According to data from Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea relied on the Strait of Hormuz for 61% of its crude oil imports and 54% of its naphtha imports last year. Japan’s dependency is even more pronounced. data from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy indicates that Japan imported more than 95% of its crude oil from the Middle East in fiscal 2024, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates each providing roughly 40% of the total.
The summit will likely address the safety of commercial vessels currently stranded by Iranian blockades and explore the possibility of joining international naval efforts to ensure freedom of navigation through the strait. The leaders are also expected to discuss alternative supply routes to mitigate the risks of over-reliance on a single maritime corridor.
Military logistics and trade friction
Beyond energy, a critical point of discussion is the potential for an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). This military logistics pact would allow the South Korean and Japanese armed forces to exchange supplies, services, and logistical support during combined exercises or unforeseen crises.
While the Yomiuri Shimbun reported in May that Tokyo is eager to make progress on an ACSA—following the upgrade of security dialogues to the vice-ministerial level on May 7—Seoul has remained cautious. The South Korean Defense Ministry has maintained that it is not currently considering such a bilateral agreement, creating a diplomatic hurdle the two leaders may attempt to clear in Andong.
Trade tensions also loom over the meeting, specifically regarding the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). While South Korea has expressed interest in joining the 12-economy bloc, Japan has linked its approval to the lifting of South Korean import restrictions on seafood from Fukushima and seven other prefectures.
These restrictions, implemented in 2013 following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, remain a point of contention. Seoul insists the bans will stay in place until public safety concerns are fully resolved, while Tokyo views the restrictions as an unnecessary barrier to trade.
Comparative Strategic Priorities
| Issue Area | South Korean Position | Japanese Position |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Diversifying routes from Hormuz | Securing Middle East crude flow |
| Defense | Cautious on bilateral ACSA | Pushing for logistics pact |
| Trade | Seeking CPTPP entry | Linking entry to Fukushima seafood |
| Diplomacy | Regional “hometown” engagement | Reciprocal trust-building |
The silence on historical disputes
Notably absent from the official agenda provided by Cheong Wa Dae are the long-standing historical disputes that have traditionally frozen Korea-Japan relations. There was no mention of compensation for forced labor or wartime sexual slavery stemming from Japan’s colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.
This omission suggests a tactical decision to prioritize “substantive cooperation” over historical grievances, especially as the region navigates a volatile global landscape. The summit follows a high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, adding a layer of urgency to the need for a stable Seoul-Tokyo axis.
The use of hometown diplomacy to Andong represents an attempt to build a “future-oriented” relationship where personal rapport between leaders acts as a buffer against systemic political friction. By expanding shuttle diplomacy from the capitals to regional cities like Gyeongju and Nara, the two nations are betting that localized, informal engagement can unlock stalled negotiations on security and trade.
The next confirmed checkpoint for this diplomatic push will be the joint press conference on Tuesday, where the leaders are expected to announce the specific outcomes of their talks on energy security and the CPTPP.
Do you think personal diplomacy can overcome deep-seated historical tensions in East Asia? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
