S. Korea, Japan, China agree to hold trilateral summit soon

South Korea, Japan and China agreed on Monday to hold a trilateral summit at the earliest date, possibly early next year, the foreign ministry said. The agreement was reached during a meeting in Tokyo between South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, Japan's Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi and China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, the ministry said in a release. In the meeting, the senior diplomats agreed to discuss specific dates for the summit, which is anticipated to take place in Japan. During the previous summit in Seoul in May, the three leaders agreed to regularize these summits. Following the meeting, Chung held separate talks with his Japanese counterpart to discuss bilateral cooperation, the ministry said. The talks are believed to have included discussions on Japan's compliance with recommendations regarding its mine complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site linked to the forced labor of Koreans during wartime. The Sado mine complex -- one of the world's larges t gold producers in the 17th century -- was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July after Japan agreed to reflect the full history of the site, including its connection to Korean forced labor. A memorial service for the victims is expected to take place within the year, and the South Korean side has requested the attendance of high-level officials from the Japanese government. Source: Yonhap News Agency