President Lee Jae Myung, who is set to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Saturday, said South Korea’s restrictions on Japanese seafood imports can only be lifted once the Korean public regains trust in their safety.

In a joint written interview with Japan’s Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and Sankei Shimbun published the same day, Lee was asked about Tokyo’s request to ease restrictions, delivered earlier through Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

Some Japanese media outlets have speculated that Ishiba could raise the issue during his summit with Lee.

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Seoul imposed a ban on seafood imports from Fukushima and seven other prefectures, citing food safety concerns.

On another issue, Lee addressed Japan’s priority of resolving the long-standing matter of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea. He said the issue should be handled on humanitarian grounds, stressing the need to restore dialogue with Pyongyang in order to discuss a broader agenda with the regime.