South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok speaks during a ceremony of the 106th Independence Movement Day, marking the 1919 civilian uprising against Japanese rule, at Soongeui Women's University in Seoul on Mar 1, 2025. (Photo: AP/Chung Sung-Jun)

South Korea acting president hopes for 'new chapter' in ties with Japan

Choi Sang-mok's comments came during a speech at the Independence Movement Day ceremony on Saturday (Mar 1), a holiday marking the anniversary of the 1919 Korean uprising against Japanese colonial rule.

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SEOUL: South Korea's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, said on Saturday (Mar 1) he hoped his country and Japan could "open a new chapter" in their relations.

His comments came during a speech at the Mar 1 Independence Movement Day ceremony, a holiday marking the anniversary of the 1919 Korean uprising against Japanese colonial rule.

"In order to effectively respond to the grave international situation, the cooperation between South Korea and Japan is a necessity," Choi said in his speech.

The acting president led events in the absence of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who have both been impeached following a short-lived Dec 3 martial law decree.

Under Yoon's conservative administration, Seoul has sought better ties with Tokyo which have been fraught with historical baggage for years at a time of China's growing influence and North Korea's growing missile and nuclear programs.

The liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached Yoon, a conservative, after his short-lived Dec 3 martial law decree caused political turmoil, rattled its financial markets and hurt its international image.

He has been separately arrested and indicted on rebellion charges in connection with his decree.

Massive rallies by opponents and supporters of Yoon have divided the streets of Seoul and other major South Korean cities since late last year.

If Yoon is formally thrown out of office, a national election must take place within two months to find his successor.

Source: Agencies/ia

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