Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (second from left) on Sept. 27 at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Province, prepares to board a flight to Japan. He attended that day the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Yonhap News)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sept. 27 attended the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination under the Prime Minister's Secretariat announced that Prime Minister Han visited Japan for two days.

The government delegation attending the event comprised Prime Minister Han (head), National Assembly Deputy Speaker Chung Jin-suk (deputy head); Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk-min; and Korea-Japan Friendship Association chief Yoo Heung-soo, a former ambassador to Japan.

Prime Minister Han was slated to talk to high-ranking officials from other countries who attended the funeral and Japanese politicians during his stay in Tokyo as a form of "condolence diplomacy."

He talked to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris upon arrival in Tokyo.

Yonhap News of Korea said the two officials spoke at Hotel Okura Tokyo that morning, with the prime minister saying, "The Korean government and people are very much looking forward to meeting Vice President Harris in person."

Vice President Harris called the bilateral alliance "the linchpin of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific."

She will pay a courtesy call on President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sept. 29.

After the funeral's conclusion at 5 p.m., Prime Minister Han was scheduled to attend a welcoming reception hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the state guesthouse Akasaka Palace.

Both men will hold formal talks on the morning of Sept. 28.

President Yoon on the morning of Sept. 27 told reporters on his way to the presidential office, "No matter what difficulties lie ahead, we plan to strongly push for normalization of Korea-Japan relations."

dusrud21@korea.kr