N. Korea-Japan Talks to Open In Pyongyang Today

N. Korea-Japan Talks to Open In Pyongyang Today. November. 08, 2004 22:57. by Won-Jae Park parkwj@donga.com.

Japan and North Korea will hold working-level talks on the Japanese abduction issue from November 9-12 in Pyongyang.

Considering the fact that it is the first meeting that North Korean government officials have attended after the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush, the international community is curious about how North Korea will react to the results of the U.S. presidential election.

The Japanese daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that in addition to North Korea’s alleged abduction of Japanese, the Japanese government would discuss North Korea’s nuclear issues as well.

It is also reported that Mitoji Yabunaka, director general of the Foreign Ministry`s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau and Japanese representative at the six-way talks, and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan of North Korea are likely to discuss the resumption of the six-way talks aside from the issue of the Japanese abduction.