Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung surprised many online this week after videos of the two leaders playing the drums together circulated widely on social media, striking an unusually light-hearted note in bilateral diplomacy.
The impromptu jam session took place on Tuesday (Jan 13) at the end of the first day of a two-day summit in Nara, the capital of Ms Takaichi’s home prefecture. According to South Korea’s government, Ms Takaichi led the session, guiding Mr Lee as he took his place behind the drum kit.
Ms Takaichi is known to be a keen drummer and a heavy metal fan, having played in a student heavy metal band in her younger days. Videos shared online show the two leaders wearing matching electric blue tracksuit tops, with their names emblazoned across the chest, smiling and laughing as they played along to popular tunes.
They performed two K-pop tracks: Dynamite by South Korean supergroup BTS, and Golden from the award-winning animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. The unexpected choice of music and the informal setting quickly drew attention across platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and X.
Reactions online were mixed. Some viewers poked fun at the leaders’ drumming skills, with one Instagram user bluntly commenting that “it’s awful,” while a TikTok user joked that “my ears hurt.” Others questioned whether the footage had been generated using artificial intelligence, reflecting growing scepticism over viral political content.
However, many users responded warmly, describing the moment as “so cute” and praising the “fun” and relaxed interaction. Several commenters said they welcomed seeing political leaders display a more relatable and human side, with one adding that such moments of “diplomacy” were preferable to “unnecessary domestic infighting.” Some online users even joked that Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong should join the pair next time by playing the guitar.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Ms Takaichi said that Mr Lee had spoken about his dream of playing the drums when they met at last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. That conversation, she said, prompted her to prepare the drum set as a surprise for the Nara summit.
Mr Lee, in his own post on X on Wednesday, thanked Ms Takaichi for what he described as a thoughtful and memorable gesture. He said it had been a long-held ambition of his to play the drums, adding that while the performance initially felt “awkward,” the rhythm gradually came together and allowed him to express his feelings through music.
Drawing a parallel between the jam session and bilateral relations, Mr Lee said South Korea and Japan had learned to respect each other’s differences and adjust to one another’s rhythm over time, leading to deeper cooperation. “I hope we can get closer step by step,” he wrote.
The light-hearted moment came amid substantive diplomatic engagements. South Korea’s presidential office said earlier on Jan 9 that the two leaders would attend multiple diplomatic events over the two days, with Mr Lee also scheduled to meet South Korean residents living in Japan. The summit aims to reinforce efforts to steer South Korea–Japan relations in a future-oriented and stable direction.
The talks were held a week after Mr Lee met Chinese President Xi Jinping, against the backdrop of strained relations between Tokyo and Beijing. Tensions have risen following remarks by Ms Takaichi that Japan could deploy its forces if a Chinese attack on Taiwan posed an existential threat.
On Tuesday, both leaders said South Korea and Japan aim to deepen security and economic cooperation to counter rising tensions in East Asia. They discussed industrial supply chains, artificial intelligence, the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and trilateral cooperation with the United States, their mutual ally.
In the same X post in which she shared the drumming performance, Ms Takaichi said Japan–South Korea relations, along with cooperation with Washington, are becoming increasingly important amid a more challenging strategic environment. Both leaders agreed to work together to promote regional stability.
Ms Takaichi is expected to travel to South Korea next for their third meeting, though no date has yet been announced.
