By Focus and AFP | 2026-01-15

TOKYO -- If diplomacy often hinges on mood as much as policy, South Korea and Japan delivered an unexpected master class, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Lee Jae Myung trading formal pledges for a surprise drum duet.

The two leaders, dressed in matching blue sports tops personalized with their names, posted images of themselves on X jamming after they met in Takaichi's home region of Nara Tu.

Lee posted a video of the performance on X January 13, writing, "At first, it felt a bit awkward, but as we kept playing, the sounds came together as one."

"Just as we respected each other's differences and found our rhythm together, I hope that Korea and Japan, too, can deepen their cooperation and take steps closer to each other," he added.

Meanwhile, South Korean presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said the joint drumming took place after official talks and that the Japanese side prepared the informal musical session as a "surprise event."

Takaichi, who used to drum in a student heavy metal band, said they played two K-pop songs: "Golden" from the Golden Globe-winning animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," and "Dynamite," by the band BTS.

A clip that Takaichi posted on X showed her drumming energetically, with a huge smile on her face.

"I realized a lifelong dream today," said Lee, who had told Takaichi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last year that it was his dream to play the drums.

After the performance, they signed and exchanged drumsticks.

Light symbolism, practical agenda

Still, the light-touch symbolism sat alongside an agenda that both sides cast as practical. The leaders agreed to work more closely on economic security, science and technology and shared social problems, South Korea's presidential office said.

They also agreed to step up their joint fight against transnational crime, including scams.

At the same time, the summit unfolded against sharper regional tensions. Looming in the background of the meeting was Japan's heated diplomatic spat with China, triggered by Takaichi's suggestion in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.

Lee, while stressing coordination with Washington, spoke in favor of trilateral engagement with China, Nikkei Asia reported. His suggestion highlights a difference in emphasis even as the two US allies try to keep their footing in a fast-shifting region.

On the bilateral front, bitter memories of Japan's brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 have cast a long shadow over Tokyo-Seoul ties. The leaders discussed steps touching on historical grievances, Seoul said.

They agreed to use DNA testing to identify the remains of coal miners who drowned in the 1942 flood at the Chosei mine in western Japan. The victims included 136 Korean forced laborers.

A Japanese civic group found the remains last August, Korea.net reported at the time.

Opposite political origins

Takaichi and Lee's opposite political origins (rightist and leftist, respectively) make their show of togetherness unexpected and likelier to endure, said Ayumi Teraoka, assistant professor of politics at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, according to Nikkei Asia.

Although Lee comes from the left, he supports closer ties with Japan, placing him in agreement with pro-business conservatives in South Korea, Teraoka said.

Lee and Takaichi are focused on their countries' commonalities, Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, told Nikkei Asia. "Politically, the progressive Lee and conservative Takaichi may not be natural allies, but they are both politicians focused on the national interest," Easley said.

"South Korea and Japan have many economic and security concerns in common, from maritime safety to demographic challenges to environmental cooperation," he added.

As both governments continue to signal a "future-oriented" partnership, Nikkei Asia noted the strategic logic behind this diplomatic choreography. "Japan and Korea need the US to be involved in the region, and reinforcing the point that trilateral relations are important is in and of itself very important as a strategic message," Rintaro Nishimura, co-founder of the US-ROK-Japan Next Generation Study Group, said.