Go to contents

North Korea, Japan Begin Kidnap Talks

Posted February. 06, 2006 03:45,   

한국어

North Korean and Japanese delegations met yesterday in Beijing to discuss the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by the North.

Before the discussion, both sides held a general meeting on February 4 and agreed on a bilateral agenda including the abduction of Japanese citizens, the normalization of diplomatic ties, and security issues, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

In the discussion on the abduction issue, Japan reportedly demanded the return of its nationals, an explanation, and the extradition of those responsible, while announcing that bilateral ties would not be normalized without a satisfactory resolution of the kidnap issue.

Yesterday morning, Kunio Umeda, the chief of the Japanese delegation and deputy director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry`s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, said, “Japan’s top priority is dealing with the abduction issue. We demand that North Korea take specific action on this matter.”

Kim Chol Ho, the deputy chief of the North Korean Foreign Ministry`s Asia Bureau, told reporters that there had been major differences of opinion between the delegations regarding a resolution to the abduction issue, implying that further negotiations would be difficult.

The North Korean delegation implied that it was focusing more on the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries and by saying during the general meeting, “The settlement of past [history issues between Korea and Japan] should be the focus of the talks.”



Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com