It has been discovered that Akie Abe, the wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited Korea and met the wife of the former and current president.
According to the President’s Office and the opposition party on the 15th, Mrs. Abe recently met with First Lady Kim Kun-hee and First Lady Kim Jung-sook in Korea.
It is reported that all meetings held in private were held at Mrs. Abe’s request.
The content of the conversation between First Lady Kim Kun-hee and First Lady Abe is not known, but it appears that words of condolence and consolation were exchanged for former Prime Minister Abe, who died in a shooting in July of last year.
There were media reports that there was discussion about the issue of Japanese abductees, but an official from the President’s Office said, “I don’t think that was the case.”
Mrs. Abe also met separately with former President Moon Jae-in’s wife, First Lady Kim Jung-sook, somewhere in Seoul and had lunch together.
Although Korea-Japan relations appeared strained during the Moon Jae-in administration, the two attracted attention for their friendly appearance every time they met.
When former President Moon visited Osaka, Japan to attend the G20 summit in 2019, the first ladies of both countries held hands and greeted each other with bright smiles.
It was in contrast to the atmosphere of the relationship between the two countries at the time, when former President Moon and former Prime Minister Abe revealed the atmosphere of the relationship between the two countries with an awkward ‘8-second handshake’.
It is reported that Ms. Kim Jung-sook and Ms. Abe had several conversations about their past relationship.
In a phone call with News 1, an opposition official said, “The relationship between the two was close and good, so they had a pleasant and comfortable conversation,” and “Mrs. Abe had an unfortunate incident, so Mrs. Kim Jung-sook comforted her.”
Mrs. Abe is well known as a ‘Korean Wave fan’ who started studying Korean after falling in love with the drama ‘Winter Sonata’ and is always interested in Korean culture.
In 2013, I participated in the kimchi festival held at the Korean Embassy in Japan and made kimchi myself.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.