South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ready to hold a summit with Japan at the appropriate time, local media reported on Wednesday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2018) South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ready to hold a summit with Japan at the appropriate time, local media reported on Wednesday.
On late Tuesday, Moon and Abe met in New York, which is hosting the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, the Yonhap news agency reported.
"I think it is important to normalize relations with North Korea in the course of peace building on the Korean Peninsula ... We will actively support and cooperate so that the North Korea-Japan summit takes place ... I faithfully conveyed Prime Minister Abe 's message to Kim Jong Un, the chairman of the North Korean State Affairs Commission, and heard the answer to it," Moon said, as quoted by the agency.
The Japanese prime minister thanked Moon for caring about the relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang.
"I would like to express my respect to President Moon for demonstrating his strong leadership for the purpose of the latest inter-Korean summit ... I also thank you for mentioning the relationship between Japan and North Korea, including the abduction issue," Abe said.
At the same time, Abe reiterated his readiness to personally meet with Kim to discuss the issue of the Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean security services in the 1970s.
"I am ready to overcome the mutual mistrust with North Korea and meet Kim Jong Un to address the problem of the Japanese citizens being held there," the prime minister said at the UN General Assembly.
According to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Moon drew the issue of Japanese abductees and Tokyo-Pyongyang relations to Kim's attention at the recent inter-Korean summit at Abe's request.
"I would like to refrain from describing details of the diplomatic exchange, including the response of Chairman Kim, and its assessment. Nothing has been decided on the Japan-North Korea summit at the moment ... In any case, as Prime Minister Abe has said, Prime Minister will ultimately hold talks with Kim Jong Un. However, we have to make sure that these talks will contribute to resolving the abduction issue," Suga told reporters, asked whether there was any acceleration of efforts toward holding a Japan-North Korea summit in light of Abe's speech at the UN General Assembly.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have significantly de-escalated in 2018 with the North Korean leader having several times met with Moon and once with US President Donald Trump. Abe has already expressed his readiness to meet with Kim.
According to Tokyo, 17 Japanese nationals were abducted by North Korean security in the 1970s and 1980s, and about 900 more disappeared under circumstances that could potentially involve North Korea's actions. Pyongyang recognized 13 instances of kidnapping Japanese citizens, five of whom were returned to Japan and the remaining eight died. It is believed that some of these Japanese citizens were abducted for the purpose of obtaining their identities, which were then used by North Korean penetration agents in South Korea. Other victims allegedly taught the Japanese language to North Korean intelligence personnel.
