President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Sunday that he feels a sense of responsibility to develop better Seoul-Tokyo relations beyond the good times witnessed in the past.

The president made the comments during his opening remarks for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the presidential office in Seoul.

In light of the grave international situation and complex global crises, Yoon stressed the importance of cooperation and coexistence of the two nations for their mutual interest as well as for global peace and prosperity.

Mentioning his speech at Harvard University during his state trip to the United States last month, Yoon said that people should move away from the perception that South Korea and Japan cannot take a single step towards future cooperation unless bilateral historical issues are completely settled.

President Yoon also said that it took 12 years to restore shuttle diplomacy between the two nations, but it took less than two months for Kishida and himself to realize bilateral visits.

He added that it is challenging to bring about positive change, but once it does, it frequently develops into a trend. He noted that this positive change seems to be occurring in the relationship between South Korea and Japan.

In response, Kishida said that he is pleased to resume shuttle diplomacy between the two nations, adding that he hopes to exchange opinions on advancing bilateral relations at the summit.

Kishida added that he also wanted to discuss the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including North Korea, and global challenges ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May.