Prime Minister Kishida: ”Korea is an important partner” after South Korean ruling party suffers ”crushing defeat” in general election - South Korean media

Regarding the results of South Korea's general election, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "South Korea is an important partner" and "we will continue to cooperate."
According to Kyodo News and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Prime Minister Kishida, who is on a state visit to the United States, announced on the 12th (local time)
He gave the above response in response to a question from a reporter about the ruling party's landslide defeat in South Korea's general elections held on April 10.
Prime Minister Kishida said, "We should refrain from making specific references to domestic issues in South Korea," but added, "We will continue to support the Korean government."
"It is important to communicate at all levels, not just brain-to-brain," he said. "Since last year, cooperation between Japan and South Korea has improved in both quantity and quality in various fields, including politics, economy and culture."
"It is in the interest of both sides to expand the relationship in a multi-layered way," he added. In response to a similar question on the 11th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also said, "Japan and South Korea are partners that deal with various issues in the international community.
"We should cooperate with Japan as a neighboring country and we will continue to communicate with each other," he said. Meanwhile, Japanese media reported that the Democratic Party of Korea, the largest opposition party in South Korea, which is critical of Japan,
"The landslide victory in the election could have a negative impact on the improvement of Japan-South Korea relations that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration has been promoting," the report said.