South Korea and Japan agreed Tuesday (May 23) to resume talks next month to discuss their shared maritime border in the East Sea, South Korean officials said.
The two sides agreed to hold the negotiations on their respective exclusive economic zones (EEZ) from June 12-13 in Tokyo, they added.
Seoul and Tokyo also decided to bolster non-political exchanges separate to their continued diplomatic stand-off.
The agreement came at a one-on-one meeting between the two countries foreign ministers at a Doha hotel on the sidelines of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).
The Seoul-Tokyo EEZ talks would be the fifth of their kind. The two countries failed to reach a compromise in previous rounds of discussions over the issue held between 1996 and 2000.
During the 90-minute talks at a Doha hotel, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon called for Japan to join the upcoming EEZ talks with the full understanding of South Koreas position as was well shown in President Roh Moo-hyuns special address on the Dokdo issue last month.
Dokdo is a flash point in the two nations ties, as Japan habitually claims territorial sovereignty over the South Korean island in the East Sea, which are surrounded by rich fishing waters and also believed to host deposits of methane hydrate.
In one of the strongest warnings to Japan over its claims to Dokdo, President Roh reiterated in a special speech on April 25 that Dokdo belongs both historically and territorially to South Korea, and that Tokyos claim over Dokdo is an act that denies Koreas independence from Japan after 36 years of colonial rule.
Rohs speech came in response to Japans plan to conduct a hydrographic survey in the waters near Dokdo, a plan that was later ped in the face of South Koreas strong opposition.
South Korean officials said that the EEZ talks can be a litmus test of Tokyos will to mend strained ties with Seoul and develop future-oriented relations.
South Korea and Japan agreed to activate exchange programs for the two countries teenagers and to step up efforts for joint study concerning their shared history, a senior foreign ministry official told reporters after the closed-door talks.
But fundamental problems remain unsolved, he said, pointing out that Japanese leaders should first have correct perceptions of history, especially regarding the issue of Yasukuni Shrine and Dokdo.
In the eyes of South Korean and Chinese people, the controversial Tokyo shrine is a symbol of Japans military atrocities, as it honors millions of Japans war dead, including a dozen Class-A World War II war criminals.
However, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Taro Aso and many other Japanese leaders continue to pay homage at the shrine.
With regard to the Yasukuni issue, the South Korean official quoted Aso as saying, I will consider both personal emotion and official position on it.
