President Lee awards medal to head of Korea-Japan council

TOKYO, June 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak awarded a medal
Sunday to a Japanese business leader for his contribution to improving
Korea-Japan relations over the past four decades.
Nobutsugu Shimizu, vice chairman of the Korea-Japan Cooperation Council, received
the Kwanghwa Medal, South Korea's highest order of diplomatic service merit, in a
ceremony held at the South Korean Embassy here.
Lee arrived in Tokyo earlier Sunday for a one-day trip that will include a summit
with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso.
"President Lee said the development of Korea-Japan relations during the past 40
years was possible because of great efforts made by civilian leaders such as the
members of the Korea-Japan Cooperation Council," Lee's presidential office Cheong
Wa Dae said in a press release.
As the only surviving founding member of the council, which was established in
1969, Shimizu also helped launch a scholarship program for South Korean and
Japanese business leaders by initiating a fundraising campaign, Cheong Wa Dae
said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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