After a joint visit to the memorial for Korean victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, President Yoon Suk Yeol called Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s decision to join him a “brave act.” That is undoubtedly correct, but the same is true of Yoon’s own engagement with Kishida this year. On the sidelines of the G7 Summit, President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida met for the third time and demonstrated the “deep trust” between them. That progress is due in large part to Yoon’s willingness to take politically risky, but geostrategically critical, decisions that have measurably improved the Korea-Japan bilateral relationship in just a number of months.
