Lee and Takaichi set for Andong summit on May 19

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are finalising the details of a summit in Andong, North Gyeongsang, on May 19, Japanese media reported on Sunday.

Kyodo News and other outlets said Takaichi is expected to travel to Lee’s hometown for a two-day, one-night visit. A senior Blue House official confirmed only that “the final date is still being discussed,” but did not dispute the broad outline of the trip.

The meeting would be the third between the two leaders. It is the latest instalment in a “shuttle diplomacy” arrangement that has seen them alternate visits to each other’s hometowns. Lee travelled to Nara Prefecture, where Takaichi was born and raised, in January for their first summit. Takaichi would now return the gesture by visiting Andong, Lee’s birthplace. The personal rapport between the two leaders has helped stabilise a relationship long strained by colonial-era grievances and territorial disputes.

The summit follows closely on US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday. Trade tensions between Washington and Beijing are expected to dominate those discussions, and the outcome is likely to determine what Seoul and Tokyo discuss regarding China. Both countries are caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade dispute. They maintain complex economic dependencies on Beijing even as they deepen security ties with Washington.

The leaders are expected to cover economic security, including energy supply concerns stemming from instability in the Middle East and efforts to strengthen critical mineral supply chains. Both items will be shaped by whatever emerges from the Trump-Xi meeting.

On defence cooperation, Tokyo has been pushing for a bilateral Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, which would allow Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and the South Korean military to share ammunition, fuel and other logistical supplies in emergencies. The Japan News reported that Tokyo is actively pursuing the pact. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defence has denied it is under consideration, a sign that domestic political sensitivities still limit how far Seoul is willing to go on military cooperation.

“Japan will push hard on this,” said Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University. “The question for Korea will be how to calibrate its response.”

Whether historical grievances will surface is also being watched closely. At their January summit, the two leaders agreed to pursue DNA identification of the remains of forced Korean labourers who died in the 1942 Chosei coal mine tragedy, a step toward broader historical dialogue. Progress on that front could feature in the Andong agenda.

A senior ruling party official told the JoongAng Ilbo that the focus so far has been on restoring back-and-forth diplomacy and improving bilateral ties, but added that “the time has come for the two countries to produce tangible results through their summits that go beyond simply improving relations.” Whether Andong delivers those results will depend in part on what Trump and Xi agree to in Beijing first.