President Yoon Suk Yeol has pledged that Seoul and Tokyo will provide support for businesses from the two countries to freely engage in bilateral exchanges and create opportunities for innovation.

Attending a business roundtable on the second day of his working trip to Tokyo on Friday, Yoon said the two governments have agreed to cooperate and jointly respond to global issues concerning supply chains, climate change, cutting-edge science and technology and economic security.

The president specifically called for two-way cooperation in future advanced and new industries, such as digital transformation, semiconductors, batteries and electric vehicles.

Referring to an agreement reached between the Federation of Korean Industries(FKI) and the Japan Business Federation to each establish a "future partnership fund" promoting joint research and youth exchanges, Yoon said he expects the deal to help deepen mutual understanding and cooperation.

The roundtable was attended by 12 South Koreans, including Samsung Electronics chief Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun.

From the Japanese side, there were no representatives present from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries or Nippon Steel, the two firms ordered by the South Korean top court to compensate Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor in 2018.