Japan should be more reciprocative in efforts to solidify ties with South Korea, given the extent to which South Korean President Kim Dae Jung has pursued forward-looking bilateral relations, according to Seoul's ambassador to Japan, Choi Sang Yong.
![](../images/photos2001/nn20010127b9a.jpg)
Since Kim's visit to Japan in October 1998, when he agreed with the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to build a new bilateral partnership and put the past behind them, Seoul has gradually opened its doors to Japanese cultural influences, such as music and cinema.