The Republic of Korea and Japan are close neighboring countries with a rich tradition of exchanges and cooperation, and are important partners that share similar values and interests.
As of 2023, the trade volume between the ROK and Japan amounted to $76.7 billion.
In the face of enhanced nuclear weapons and missile threats from North Korea that reached unprecedented levels, progress was made also in the field of defense cooperation. In November 2016, the two countries signed an agreement on the protection of classified military information. The agreement will enhance both countries’ abilities to deal with North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile threats, and contribute to ROK-US-Japan trilateral cooperation.
With regard to the Dokdo issue, however, the Korean Government has dealt firmly and resolutely with any claims made by the Japanese Government denying Korean sovereignty over the islets, which have been an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law. It is the basic position of the Korean Government that ROK-Japan relations should be based on a correct understanding of history.
Issue of the Victims of ‘Comfort Women’ by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992, the Republic of Korea and China have witnessed a rapid development of their relations in various fields. In about 30 years, the annual trade volume and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries increased about 69 times(2022) and 76 times(2019) respectively. Based on the "Strategic Cooperative Partnership" established through the mutual visits by the two heads of states in 2008, the two countries have been exerting greater effort to enhance their relations, sharing the strategic goal of maintaining peace and prosperity in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.
The bilateral trade volume between Korea and China in 2023, which amounted to $267.6 billion ($124.8 billion in exports and $142.8 billion in imports). As a result, China remained the largest trading partner for Korea in terms of imports and exports. As of 2023, there were 215,964 Korean nationals living in China.
