By Takashi Nakagawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

17:51 JST, August 21, 2025

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung considers policy consistency toward Japan to be vital and insists his administration has a “responsibility” to adhere to previous bilateral agreements – even one he opposed before he became president.

During an exclusive interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun in Seoul on Tuesday, Lee did not seek to make historical issues a source of conflict in Japan-South Korea relations, and indicated a willingness to expand cooperation in economic, security and other fields.

Nevertheless, Lee said the issues of so-called comfort women and former wartime requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula were “heartbreaking” for the South Korean people, and indicated his hopes that the Japanese side would show consideration for these feelings.

Lee indicated his government would stand by the measures worked out in 2023 by the administration of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, to resolve the issue of lawsuits involving former requisitioned workers. “Previous presidents also were representatives of the nation selected by the people,” Lee said. “I cannot reverse agreements that they made or policies that have already been........

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