The small countryside city of Andong, tucked into the hills of southeastern South Korea about 190 kilometers from Seoul, is best known for its Confucian traditions and a folk village with UNESCO World Heritage status. It is not where global energy policy usually gets decided, but on Tuesday, it was.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to his hometown for a summit. This was the first time that sitting leaders of the two countries have visited each other's hometowns. In January, Lee had traveled to Nara, Takaichi's home region. Now Takaichi was returning the gesture.
For two countries whose relationship still carries the weight of Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, this personal diplomacy would have been hard to imagine not long ago. But warmth between leaders was not what brought them together. Fear of empty energy supplies did.
A war in the Middle East has thrown the energy markets that both economies depend on into turmoil. In 2024, Japan and South Korea were the world's second and third largest importers of liquefied natural gas, together accounting for more than a quarter of all global LNG imports.
In Andong, the leaders pledged to deepen cooperation on securing crude oil and LNG. They agreed to build emergency arrangements to lend or swap fuel in a crisis, work together on stockpiling energy reserves, and stabilize supplies of critical minerals. The two governments also agreed to open new dialogue channels between their trade and industry ministries.
The leaders reaffirmed stronger security coordination, including trilateral cooperation with the United States. However, Japan's long-sought military logistics-sharing pact with South Korea was not agreed upon.
What is striking is the pace. Lee is a liberal who took office in mid-2025, while Takaichi is a conservative security hawk who became prime minister in autumn. Yet they have met repeatedly in a short span. When Lee visited Nara, the journey was about goodwill. When Takaichi came to Andong, the journey was about survival. Two countries that once could barely speak were quietly deciding to share their energy reserves.