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| gettyimagesbank |
By Kim Hyun-bin
Korean business community expressed their condolences for the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot and killed while on the campaign trail giving a speech to support another candidate in the upcoming elections for the upper house of Japan's parliament.
"On behalf of the Korean business community, we express our deepest condolences to the sudden passing of former Prime Minister Abe. Korea and Japan are the only friends in East Asia who pursue the common values of liberal democracy and a market economy," the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said.
"This incident is an act of terror, and we, as one member of (the community of) mature global citizens, strongly condemn it. We will work harder to improve Korea-Japan relations and revitalize economic cooperation through communication with the Japanese business community, such as Japan Business Federation (Keidanren)," it said.
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| Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe |
"We express our deepest condolences to former Japanese Prime Minister Abe, who died in a tragic incident, and pray for the well-being of the deceased. We hope that efforts to restore Korea-Japan relations will continue," the KCCI said.
"We wish for the youngest and longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history to rest in peace, and we offer our condolences to the Japanese people and their families. Korea and Japan are the closest neighbors and allies that share the values of liberal democracy and the market economy," the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF) said.
Shinzo Abe served as the prime minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. Abe was killed Friday in a gun attack while making a speech at a campaign event in the city of Nara, near Osaka.
The incident occurred while the Korean business community has been increasing its efforts to enhance relations with the Japanese business community. The FKI held the Korea-Japan Business Meeting at the FKI Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on June 29, together with the Japanese business group, Keidanren.
The meeting addressed the abolition of mutual export restrictions, the revival of the mutual visa-free entry system to expand people-to-people exchanges, the need for Korea to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the need for bilateral cooperation to develop the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
The two organizations initiated this meeting in 1982 to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries' business communities, and have been holding regular meetings since 1983, though it could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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