On July 3, Dong-A Ilbo (South Korea) reported that Tokyo and Pyongyang held a meeting last month on the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea.
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| Illustration photo. (Source: Kyodo News) |
Specifically, the newspaper quoted a diplomatic source as saying that North Korean and Japanese officials met at least twice in third countries such as China and Singapore.
The paper said that if talks continue, the two sides could discuss the possibility of holding higher-level meetings in the future. Japan is also said to have informed the US in advance about the meetings with North Korea.
Responding to this information, Mr. Koo Byoung Sam, spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Unification, said he did not have enough data to confirm the above meeting.
Earlier, at the end of May, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio pledged to hold bilateral talks and arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang's deputy foreign minister asserted that there was "no reason" for the two countries "not to meet".
In 2002, North Korea repatriated five Japanese. Since then, Tokyo has called on Pyongyang to release the remaining 12.
In related news, this past weekend, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed Kim Yung Ho, a scholar known for his hardline stance on North Korea, as head of the country's Unification Ministry.
According to Mr. Yoon, it is time for the Ministry of Unification to "fulfill its responsibilities in accordance with the constitutional principle that unification must be based on a liberal democratic order."
For his part, Mr. Kim Yung Ho emphasized the need to put pressure on Pyongyang on human rights issues, considering this a priority in Seoul's inter-Korean policy.
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