Korea, China and Japan are working to arrange a foreign ministers’ meeting for around the end of next month to help foster the mood for a long-delayed trilateral summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.

Consultations on hammering out the exact date for the ministerial talks will begin shortly after the ongoing Group of 20 summit in Australia, presidential foreign and security secretary Ju Chul-ki said.

His briefing came one day after President Park Geun-hye displayed hopes that her first three-way gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could take place through building on ministerial and deputy-ministerial dialogues. The three countries’ leaders last met in May 2012.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga “welcomed” Park’s remarks on Friday, requesting that Seoul make “active efforts” for a summit as the host.

“We’re trying to hold (the foreign ministers’ talks) as early as the end of December,” Ju told reporters in Brisbane.

“If all the preparations are made carefully and the meeting ends successfully, it will help various diplomatic conditions become mature and the surrounding environment progress stably for a restart of the summit.”

In recent months, Seoul has been pushing for tripartite consultations as part of its efforts to defuse pressure for a bilateral summit with Tokyo and help mend the relationship ahead of the 50th anniversary of their normalization of ties next year.

One of the key driving factors behind Park’s remarks was unprecedented talks between Xi and Abe on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference early this week in Beijing, following their four-point agreement on historical and territorial rows.

Though Xi seemed aloof and China downplayed its significance afterward, the 25-minute summit relighted concerns over Seoul’s shriveled strategic leverage and calls for a more pragmatic approach to delicate foreign policy issues.

Any trilateral summit would hinge on Abe, whose revisionist security policies and remarks have enraged Korea and China. His visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in December last year instantly upended the hard-won, burgeoning atmosphere for the three-way partnership.

The three countries resumed their deputy-minister-level gathering in September after a one-year hiatus.

The initiative was launched in 2007 to crank up cooperation on the economy, North Korea’s nuclear program and other core areas. But it has lost vigor in the face of Tokyo’s heightened historical and territorial tension with Seoul and Beijing.

Park arrived in Australia on Friday for the G20 meeting. The two-day conference kicks off Saturday with leaders from 20 advanced and emerging nations attending. The list includes U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Leaders are set to discuss a wide range of issues including anticorruption, development and trade, according to officials.

On its sidelines, Park is set to hold a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The two leaders are expected to seek ways to expand cooperation on construction and infrastructure projects.

Cheong Wa Dae said that the president could also meet New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Brisbane. Australia is the final destination of her nine-day trip to three nations. She returns to Seoul on Monday.

By Shin Hyon-hee, Cho Chung-un
(heeshin@heraldcorp.com) (christory@heraldcorp.com)