Lee–Takaichi Andong Summit: Japan–South Korea Sign Energy Security Pact

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited President Lee Jae-myung's hometown of Andong for a two-day bilateral summit — their fourth meeting in six months, reciprocating Lee's January visit to Takaichi's hometown of Nara (shuttle diplomacy). The summit's centerpiece was a mutual swap arrangement for crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG to manage risk from Strait of Hormuz disruption caused by the ongoing US-Iran conflict in the Middle East, through which ~70% of South Korea's oil imports transit. Additional agreements covered AI and biotech cooperation, supply chain resilience, space exploration, anti-scam enforcement, and personal data protection. Security dialogue was elevated from director-general to vice-ministerial level. Analysts described the summit as a historic consolidation of Japan-Korea rapprochement under both countries' new progressive leadership.