Japanese and South Korean leaders jam to K-pop hits at a summit

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese and South Korean leaders agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries before they let loose with their own surprise cultural exchange in a surprise jam session drumming to K-pop hits.

The musical performance between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung followed Tuesday’s summit in Japan’s ancient capital of Nara, also Takaichi’s hometown.

Wearing personalized athletic jackets, they sat side by side and drummed to hits such as BTS’ “Dynamite” and Kpop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” in a short video posted by Takaichi’s office Wednesday.

The jam session was a surprise by Takaichi, a heavy metal fan and an avid drummer in her college days.

“Playing the drums has been my longtime dream,” Lee said on X, thanking Takaichi’s hospitality for arranging the jam session.

“Like we respected our differences and harmonized our rhythms, I hope that Korea and Japan would deepen cooperation and move closer to each other step by step,” Lee said.

Takaichi, in a video, complimented Lee as a fast learner, saying he learned to play the drums in just a few minutes.

“In order to develop Japan-South Korea relations in a forward-looking way and stably, we will continue our close communication between the two governments including by proactively carrying out our ‘shuttle diplomacy,’” Takaichi said in a message on X.

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Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.