‘Hearts Were Aligned’: Japan PM, South Korean President Bond Over Drums After Meet, Play BTS Tracks

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung shared a light-hearted moment by playing drums after their summit talks in Japan’s ancient city of Nara on Tuesday.

Takaichi

said that she had planned the surprise for Myung after he mentioned his dream of playing drums during their meeting at APEC last year.

The two leaders sat at a drum set made by Japanese manufacturer Pearl and performed “Golden,” which won the Best Original Song award at the recent Golden Globe Awards, and BTS’s global hit “Dynamite” from the Netflix series K-Pop Demon Hunters. Takaichi, who is known to have played drums during her college years, guided Lee through the performance.

“I played drums with President Lee Jae-myung. When we met at APEC last year, he mentioned that his dream was to play the drums, so I prepared a surprise for the occasion. We performed to “Golden,” which won the Best Original Song award at the recent Golden Globe Awards, and BTS’s “Dynamite.” President Lee said he was delighted to have fulfilled his long-held dream of playing the drums,” Takaichi said in a post on X.

韓国の李在明大統領と首脳会談を行いました。

両国を取り巻く戦略環境が厳しさを増す中、日韓関係、日韓米の連携の重要性はますます高まっています。
李大統領との間では、日韓両国が地域の安定に連携して役割を果たしていくべきとの点を確認しました。… pic.twitter.com/38ozZqyjFF

— 高市早苗 (@takaichi_sanae) January 13, 2026

The leaders wore matching blue uniforms bearing their names in English and their national flags. After the session, they exchanged signed drumsticks. Lee described the moment as deeply personal, saying he had fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing the drums.

“I tried to sneak in just one spoonful, but as expected, a pro’s skill is on another level. Even though the beats were a little off, it felt like our hearts were aligned in trying to match the rhythm, and just like that, we’ll work together with one mind to build a forward-looking Japan-Korea relationship,” Myung said.

어설프지만, 그래서 더 잘 어울렸던 다카이치 총리님과의 합주^^
슬쩍 숟가락 하나 얹어봤지만 역시 프로의 실력은 다르더군요.

박자는 조금 달라도 리듬 맞추려는 마음은 같았던 것처럼, 미래지향적 한일 관계도 한 마음으로 만들어가겠습니다. pic.twitter.com/pRY5jCjSl4

— 이재명 (@Jaemyung_Lee) January 13, 2026

South Korea presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said that the event was specially arranged to symbolise the rapport and growing closeness between the two leaders, turning the informal meeting into a moment of cultural exchange rather than extended negotiations.

The Nara summit marked the first time in 15 years that a South Korean president has visited a Japanese city outside Tokyo for a bilateral meeting. Nara is PM Takaichi’s hometown and political constituency.

During formal talks, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of Japan–South Korea relations amid a challenging regional security environment and agreed to deepen cooperation in security, economic ties and trilateral coordination with the United States. Both sides also committed to continuing “shuttle diplomacy” through regular high-level exchanges.