S. Korea’s Kang says to discuss wartime issues with Japan, but ‘not much time left’

South Korea and Japan will put discussions about their contentious wartime past back on the table, Seoul’s foreign minister said on Saturday, warning that a recent thaw in relations had bought them a little, but not much, time.

Kang Kyung-wha made the comments to a small group of reporters on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) ministers’ meeting in the Japanese city of Nagoya. Kang spoke after meeting with her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi.

“We bought time for intense discussions, but there’s not much time left for us,” Kang told reporters.

On Friday, South Korea reversed at the last minute a decision to let an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan expire. Kang hailed that as a breakthrough in relations.