Minister of Unification: "Not Opposed to North Korea-Japan Dialogue... Seeking Cooperation with Japan on Abductee Issue"

Regarding Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's efforts to hold a summit with North Korea to resolve the issue of abductees, Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho stated, "The South Korean government's position is that if it helps peace on the Korean Peninsula and the resolution of nuclear issues, we do not oppose dialogue between Japan and North Korea."

Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to an interview with Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported on the 1st, Minister Kim said, "The South Korean government's position is to comprehensively address all affected parties, including South Korean citizens harmed by the North Korean government, North Korean workers overseas, and foreign nationals who have experienced abduction."

Regarding North Korea's strong criticism of Japan in its statement while still addressing Prime Minister Kishida as "Your Excellency," Minister Kim commented, "There is no consistency at all," and analyzed that North Korea's diplomatic isolation may have deepened after South Korea established diplomatic relations with Cuba.

He emphasized the importance of South Korea and Japan maintaining close communication under the "Camp David Agreement." He also explained that since February this year, a question has been added to the living condition survey of defectors asking whether they have had contact with Japanese abductees.

Minister Kim stated, "As information related to Japanese abductees accumulates, we intend to further seek a cooperative system with Japan," and added, "It will help solve current problems and prevent future issues if the international community unites to address North Korean human rights issues."

In response to the question, "Interest in unification has declined among young South Koreans," he said, "North Korean residents can live free and prosperous lives through unification, so unification is not a matter of choice but must be achieved," and added, "Even if North Korea denies unification, South Korea will pursue unification based on liberalism."

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