The Japanese and South Korean leaders held a surprise drum session on their first day of talks in Japan, belting out K-pop hits in an unconventional display of diplomacy between self-proclaimed metalheads and ambitious newbies.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung traded their suits for matching blue jerseys on Tuesday to perform chart-topping songs from South Korea’s biggest cultural export.
Together, they tackled BTS’ “Dynamite” and the hit song “Golden” from Netflix’s smash hit “KPop Demon Hunters,” which just won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes, with a six-piece kit made by famous Japanese drum company Pearl.
For Lee, it was a dream come true.
According to the South Korean government, Takaichi said, “Today, I achieved a lifelong dream. Playing the drums has been my dream since I was a child.”
Takaichi’s love of drums goes back a long way, and she wrote to X that she planned the surprise for her guests after he told them at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea last year that his dream was to play the drums.
“It’s not easy to keep up with the rhythm,” Lee told Takaichi, but added in a subsequent post to X that he hoped Japan and South Korea could grow even closer “to respect each other’s differences and adjust to each other’s rhythm.”
This will be the third meeting between the two leaders since Takaichi took office as Japan’s first female prime minister in October 2025.
They met in her hometown of Nara in central Japan to discuss a wide range of issues, from industrial supply chains and artificial intelligence to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and cooperation with the United States.
President Lee said in a joint statement, “In light of the rapidly changing international situation, we agreed that cooperation between South Korea and Japan, and South Korea, the United States, and Japan is important for peace and stability in the region.”
Relations between the two countries have cooled in recent years as their leaders move past historical tensions stemming from Japan’s colonial occupation in the early 20th century and focus on economic and security issues.
But Lee’s approach is more balanced than that of his predecessor, Yoon Seok-yeol, who set aside historical issues and focused on the threat from North Korea.
Since taking office in June, Prime Minister Lee has struck a more pragmatic tone, making it clear in August that he views Japan as an “indispensable partner.”
Tuesday’s drumstick diplomacy extended to the exchange of gifts. Mr. Takaichi gave Mr. Lee a drumstick with his name engraved on it. Lee reciprocated with, among other things, lacquer-decorated drumsticks and a drum set from Korean brand Markers.
He also gifted Takaichi’s husband a handmade lacquered dinnerware set (an idea that came about after he had promised to cook for her when he proposed) and a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, a device to track his health.
Mr. Lee has developed a reputation for giving thoughtful gifts to world leaders. Last year, he gave US President Donald Trump a replica of a gold crown worn by the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Silla, and gave Chinese leader Xi Jinping a wooden board for the strategy game Go.
