North Korea And Japan Hold A Meeting To Discuss Kidnapping By Pyongyang

Pyongyang North Korea/ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH/Thomas Evans

JAKARTA - North Korea and Japan last month held several working-level meetings regarding the kidnapping by Pyongyang of Japanese citizens in the past, according to South Korea's daily citing a number of sources.

North Korean and Japanese officials have met twice in third countries, such as China and Singapore, according to Dong-A Ilbo's daily report reported by ANTARA, Monday, July 3.

While North Korea considers the matter over, the report says if talks continue, Pyongyang and Tokyo are likely to hold higher-level meetings in the future.

Japan had previously notified the United States of the working-level meeting, according to the daily report.

News of the meeting came after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida late May vowed to hold high-level bilateral negotiations and arrange a conference with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, urging North Korean deputy foreign ministers to say "there is no reason" for the two countries "not to meet."

Since five kidnapping victims were brought back to Japan in 2002, Tokyo has asked for the repatriation of 12 other victims who were officially recognized to have been kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

The report also said North Korea appeared to have assessed that dialogue with Tokyo could drive divisions between South Korea, Japan and the United States, citing the source.

South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Koo Byoung Sam said in a regular press briefing on Monday that there was no confirmation from South Korea about the meeting.