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김여정 “기시다, 김정은 만나고 싶다는 의향 전해와“ North Korea's Kim Yo-jong says Japan's prime minister has proposed a summit with the regime. But she says Tokyo should not raise the historical issue of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea. Our Bae Eun-ji explains what could be behind this. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister Kim Yo-jong has said Japan's prime minister has conveyed hopes of a summit, at an early date. In a statement on Monday released by the regime's state-run news agency, she said improving their bilateral relations depends on Japan’s “political determination,“ and that there will be no breakthroughs as long as the Kishida administration brings up the issue of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea. When asked about the report, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a parliamentary session on Monday that he has always thought a summit would be important to resolve various issues. “As I've said before, to solve the abduction problem and other North Korean issues, a summit is crucial. I have been working directly on realizing this with North Korea through various channels.“ One expert says North Korea's aim to pressure Japan indicates that the two sides have not yet been able to reach an agreement. “It seems that there has been communication between North Korea and Japan, but they have not been able to reach a meaningful agreement. North Korea appears to be using a 'mixed strategy' aimed at pressuring Japan to make a political decision.“ Kim Yo-jong's latest comments come a month after she said North Korea is open to enhancing ties with Tokyo, even inviting Kishida to Pyongyang. Pundits say North Korea aims to use the summit to weaken the trilateral partnership between Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington, and eventually use the meeting as a “stepping stone“ for a summit with the United States. Japan is said to hope that the summit can act as a way of increasing Kishida's approval rating, by resolving the abduction issue, which has been a main obstacle in its relations with North Korea. In 2002, North Korea acknowledged that it had kidnapped 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s, to train spies in the Japanese language and culture. The regime allowed five of them to return to Japan that year, but said the others had died. But Japan says there were a total of 17 Japanese citizens and continues to claim that Pyongyang has yet to provide any acceptable explanation. If the summit takes place, it would be the first time in more than 20 years that the leaders of North Korea and Japan are meeting, since 2002. Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News. #NorthKorea #Japan #Diplomacy #Summit #FumioKishida #KimJongun #KimYojong #북한 #일본 #후미오기시다 #김정은 #김여정 #회담 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-03-25, 18:00 (KST)
