The two leaders closed the meeting with an impromptu music session playing the drums to the beat of K-Pop hits.
Dressed in blue tracksuits, Takaichi and Lee sat side by side to perform world-famous songs like 'Dynamite' by BTS and 'Golden' by KPop Demon Hunters. The moment was captured in a short video released on Wednesday by the Japanese Prime Minister's Office, which quickly went viral on social media.
The jam session was a surprise organized by Takaichi, known for her love of heavy metal and for playing the drums during her university days. Lee thanked her for the gesture and confessed that playing the drums had been a personal dream for years. He also emphasized that, just like in music, Japan and South Korea must learn to synchronize gradually to move forward together.
Takaichi publicly praised Lee, stating that he learned to play the drums in just a few minutes. The symbolic gesture comes in a context of historically tense relations due to Japan's wartime past, but after a summit where both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in economic security, defense, and historical matters, with a focus on a stable and future-oriented relationship.