North Korea "Japan, Do Not Mention Abductees"... Effectively Rejects North Korea-Japan Talks

North Korean Foreign Ministry "Complete and Perfect Resolution of Abduction Issue"
"Unrealistic... Do Not Set Conditions" on Abduction Issue
At Least 12 Japanese Abduction Victims Remaining in North Korea Estimated

North Korea condemned Japan's demand to resolve the abduction issue as a "vain delusion" and effectively rejected a North Korea-Japan summit.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 28th, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the name of researcher Ri Byong-deok from the Japan Research Institute, published an article titled "The UN Should Not Become a Political Propaganda Arena That Undermines Sovereign States," stating, "Japan is colluding with the United States, Australia, and European allies to hold another video conference on the abduction issue on the UN stage," and added, "This is nothing but the desperate outcry of hostile forces trying to tarnish the dignified international image of our Republic and create a collective pressure atmosphere."

In May, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who visited Korea, paid tribute by laying flowers at the Memorial Tower in the National Seoul National Cemetery located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. The "blue ribbon" badge pinned to Prime Minister Kishida's lapel symbolizes the issue of Japanese abductees.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed, "Japan's putting forward an impossible issue (the abduction issue) as a priority contradicts the stance of Japanese officials who repeatedly mention their hope for a 'no preconditions North Korea-Japan summit' whenever there is an opportunity." Here, the North Korea-Japan summit refers to a summit between the leaders of North Korea and Japan, and the "Japanese officials" mentioned by North Korea are believed to be Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Prime Minister Kishida reiterated his willingness to hold a North Korea-Japan summit to resolve the abduction issue on the 7th of this month, following his statements last month.

North Korea's position is that the abduction issue has already been resolved. In its statement on the day, it maintained its previous stance, saying, "Regarding the abduction issue that the Japanese people talk about, it has already been irreversibly and perfectly resolved through our generosity and sincere efforts." Furthermore, it criticized Japan, which has a history of colonial rule, for raising abduction and human rights issues as "the height of shamelessness," and stated, "No matter how much they try to internationalize the abduction issue, it will attract no attention except from the United States and its followers."

North Korea's heightened criticism of Japan is interpreted as sending a message that Japan can have the summit it desires only if it does not bring up the abduction issue. However, the abduction issue has been the most significant focus in North Korea-Japan relations from the perspective of successive Japanese governments, making North Korea's demand nearly unacceptable. To date, the Japanese government recognizes 17 victims abducted by North Korea, of whom five have returned to Japan. The Japanese side has continuously demanded North Korea to clarify the truth, keeping in mind the possibility that the remaining victims may still be alive.

Japanese Society Remembering the 'Abductees'...The Trigger Was a Missing Girl

The appearance of Ms. Megumi Yokota before being abducted by North Korea

The issue of Japanese abductions by North Korea came to light with the "Yokota Megumi" case. In November 1977, Megumi, then 13 years old and living in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, disappeared on her way home from school. Her parents searched the neighborhood daily but could find no clues. Twenty years later, in 1997, it was first revealed to the world by defectors that Megumi and many other Japanese abductees were being held in North Korea. According to testimonies from those who met Megumi in North Korea, the young girl was confined in a cargo hold on a ship heading to North Korea for over 40 hours at the time of her abduction and reportedly scratched the door until her nails fell out while calling for her parents.

Later, during the first North Korea-Japan summit in 2002, Kim Jong-il acknowledged the "Japanese abductions" for the first time and disclosed some related information. Megumi was included in the list of deceased persons released by North Korea, which claimed she was hospitalized for mental illness in 1993 and subsequently took her own life. However, testimonies from abductees who returned to Japan indicate that Megumi was still alive until 1994, and the remains North Korea handed over to Japan during the second North Korea-Japan summit in 2004 were found through DNA analysis not to be hers. For this reason, both the Japanese government and society are known not to rule out the possibility that Megumi is still alive.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.