Nara Summit Secures DNA Testing for Chosei Mine Remains President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met in Nara on Jan 13‑14 and agreed to conduct DNA analysis on human remains recovered from the 1942 Chosei undersea coal‑mine flood [2][3][4][5]. The disaster killed 183 workers, including 136 Koreans forced to labor for Japan’s wartime industry [2][3][4][5]. DNA testing will target four bone fragments—including a skull—retrieved by a Japanese civic association and South Korean divers last August [1][2]. Officials framed the step as humanitarian cooperation that could return identified remains to families while easing a long‑standing historical grievance [2][3].

Leaders Expand Cooperation Into Economy, AI, and Security The summit also produced agreements on future‑oriented economic ties, with both sides pledging joint work on supply‑chain resilience, artificial‑intelligence research, and intellectual‑property coordination [2][3][4]. Lee reaffirmed South Korea’s bid to join the CPTPP and discussed reopening Japanese seafood imports previously blocked after Fukushima [2]. Security talks emphasized close coordination on North Korea denuclearization and a trilateral framework with the United States to stabilize regional tensions [3][4].

Interior Minister Announces First State Honor for Japanese Civic Group Interior Minister Yun Ho‑jung disclosed Seoul’s plan to award the Association to Etch the Calamity of the Under Sea Coal Mine Disaster into History with a state‑level decoration, marking the first such honor to a Japanese civic organization since Korea’s liberation [1]. The group, founded in 1991, has long pursued underwater investigations and, through crowd‑funding, recovered four bone fragments last August with assistance from South Korean divers Kim Kyung‑soo and Kim Soo‑eun [1]. The award ceremony is slated for next month in Japan, underscoring the diplomatic weight of the joint remembrance effort [1].

Potential Extensions Include Journalist Award and Wider Historical Recognition Yun added he may push for additional honors, citing a Japanese journalist who uncovered a 1945 passenger‑list tragedy that killed hundreds of repatriating Koreans [1]. Such extensions would broaden official acknowledgment of historical research that sheds light on wartime atrocities [1]. The proposal signals Seoul’s willingness to recognize foreign actors contributing to the truth‑seeking process, potentially reshaping bilateral memory politics [1].