South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed their commitment to the “complete denuclearization” of North Korea on Tuesday, pledging that the two countries will continue working toward this goal even after the Japanese premier steps down.

At a summit in Busan, the two leaders discussed their respective policies toward the DPRK, including nuclear and missile issues, and emphasized the importance of bilateral and trilateral cooperation alongside the U.S. to achieve denuclearization, Japan’s foreign ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

The ministry added that Ishiba requested the South Korean president’s “understanding and cooperation” toward