○ Governor of Gyeonggi Province Nam Kyung-pil met with Mr. Taku Otsuka, an LDP member of the Diet, Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in charge of local vitalization, Representative Katsuya Okada of the Democratic Party, and Keidanren Chair Sadayuki Sakakibara on February 9.
○ Governor Nam pointed to the need to make efforts to improve bilateral relations, stating that the first half of 2015 is an important juncture.
○ Governor Nam requests the Keidanren Chair to invest in his province and show keener interest in the Second Pangyo Valley
○ Governor Nam delivers presents to the victims of the Tohoku Earthquake (2011) on February 8.

Governor Nam Kyung-pil is currently visiting Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On February 9, he met with Japanese political and business leaders and stressed the importance of improving the bilateral relationship between the two countries. He also asked them to invest more heavily in his province.

On February 9, Mr. Nam Kyung-pil met, and exchanged opinions on how to improve relations between the two countries, with Mr. Taku Otsuka, an Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member of the Diet, Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in charge of local vitalization, Representative Katsuya Okada of the Democratic Party, and Keidanren (Japanese Business Federation) Chair Sadayuki Sakakibara.

Concerning the recent tragic fate of the Japanese victims held by the Islamic State (IS), Governor Nam Kyung-pil said that he and other Koreans felt deep sorrow and regret over what happened.

Commenting on his visit to the victims of the Tohoku Earthquake (2011) in Ishinomaki City of Miyagi Prefecture, Mr. Nam Kyung-pil said, “Respect for life is mankind’s universal value. An approach to the issue of the comfort women based on such a value would go a long way in the efforts to improve relations between the two countries.” He added that the first half of 2015 would be an important juncture for efforts to foster an atmosphere conducive to such improvement, pointing out that 2015 is the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the end of the Pacific War.

He also exchanged opinions on a variety of subjects during his meeting with Japanese political and business leaders. First of all, he met with Mr. Taku Otsuka, an LDP member of the Diet, on February 9. Mr. Otsuka expressed his wish to expand ties with Gyeonggi Province in connection with the Koma Shinto Shrine in Saitama, which will be 1,300 years old by 2016 and has a history associated with the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. Governor Nam Kyung-pil responded positively, saying that he would press the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization to review the matter constructively.

On the afternoon of February 9, Governor Nam exchanged opinions on how to enhance the competitiveness of provinces with Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is in charge of local vitalization.

In his meeting with Keidanren Chair Sadayuki Sakakibara, the Gyeonggi Province Governor requested Keidanren to increase its investment in his province. He also explained the plans for establishing the Second Pangyo Valley, asking for Keidanren’s positive participation. 

Mr. Nam Kyung-pil also exchanged views on the subject of historical viewpoints with Representative Katsuya Okada of the Democratic Party. He expressed his congratulations to Mr. Katsuya Okada, who was sworn in as a representative of the Democratic Party in January, and discussed pending issues concerning the two countries. In particular, Mr. Nam Kyung-pil asked him to do what he could to ensure that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s address on the 70th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War adopts a historical perspective that would help improve the bilateral relationship.

Mr. Nam Kyung-pil also had informal meetings with a number of experts on international relations including Yoshibumi Wakamiya, former editor-in-chief of the Asahi Sinbun, Ina Hisayoshi, former editor of the Nikkei Shimbun, and Professor Soeya Yoshihide of Keio University. They discussed how the two countries should collaborate with each other in moving towards the ‘new’ future, covering such issues as the North’s nuclear program, the unification of the two Koreas, and the current security situation of Northeast Asia.

Late in the afternoon of February 9, Mr. Nam Kyung-pil paid a visit to the House of Representatives and exchanged opinions on how to invigorate exchanges between the two countries with Diet members belonging to the Korea-Japan Future Initiatives Club, including Nishimura Yasutoshi (LDP), Fukuda Tastsuo (LDP), Makiyama Hiroe (Dem.), and Nagashima Akihisa (Dem.)

One day earlier, on February 8, the first day of his visit to Japan, Governor Nam Kyung-pil paid a visit to Ishinomaki City, which was hardest hit of all the cities affected by the Tohoku Earthquake (2011), and consoled local residents.

Following Vice Mayor Takeshi Sasano of Ishinomaki City’s explanation of the level of damage caused by the tsunami in March 2011, Mr. Nam Kyung-pil presented a bouquet to the tower built to console the victims at Hiyoriyama Park. Shortly thereafter, he took part in an informal meeting with more than fifty officials of the Gyeonggi Province, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ishinomaki City.

Later, he moved to downtown Sendai and had a luncheon with Korean Consul General Lee Beom-yeon in Sendai and Korean Mindan officials in Miyagi Prefecture. He listened to an explanation of how Koreans in Japan had carried out voluntary services in the wake of the Tohoku Earthquake (2011). Mr. Nam Kyung-pil said, “It is important to encourage exchanges between young people of our two countries in order to build closer friendships between our peoples.” He promised that he would provide positive support for exchanges between elementary and middle school students in Sendai and his home Gyeonggi Province.