South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi played drums together, performing two K-pop songs, "Dynamite" and "Golden", after their talks in Nara, Japan, on 13/1.

The South Korean government revealed that Ms. Takaichi, with her university drumming experience, guided Mr. Lee on the instrument. The leaders wore matching navy blue shirts prepared by Japan, adorned with the national flags of both countries and their names. This sideline event highlighted the close personal bond between the South Korean President and the Japanese Prime Minister.

“When we met at the APEC summit last year, he mentioned that playing drums was his dream, so I prepared this as a surprise gift,” Ms. Takaichi wrote on social media.

The South Korean President expressed delight at the surprise gift, adding that his drum performance might be a bit clumsy. “Even if the rhythm is off, our hearts are in sync, trying to catch up with the beat. This is similar to how we will wholeheartedly build future-oriented South Korea-Japan relations together,” Mr. Lee wrote on X.

The South Korean President (left) and Japanese Prime Minister played drums together in Nara on 13/1. *Photo: Jiji*

Ms. Takaichi later presented Mr. Lee with a pair of drumsticks; the two leaders signed them and exchanged them.

Kim Nam-joon, spokesperson for the South Korean Presidential Office, stated that Japan arranged the drumming session to demonstrate the close relationship between the two leaders. “It transformed the meeting into a unique moment of cultural exchange,” he said.

By Ngoc Anh, with reports from Yonhap, Kyodo, and Japan Times.