The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on the 25th that communication between South Korea and Japan is taking place concerning North Korean issues, including the contacts between North Korea and Japan. This statement was made in response to the claims that Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, received a summit proposal from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
When reporters asked whether they had received any information from Japan via diplomatic channels, a Ministry official answered, “It’s difficult to disclose the specifics of our communication.”
When asked about the possibility of contact between North Korea and Japan, the official only said, “It’s hard to comment on a hypothetical situation.”
Earlier in the day, Vice Director Kim, in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency, claimed, “Recently, Prime Minister Kishida has expressed his wish to meet with the Chairman of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as soon as possible, through a different route.”
Vice Director Kim also suggested that the conditions for a North Korea-Japan summit be that the issue of abduction or nuclear and missile development be left out. She had previously hinted at the possibility of a conditional summit on the 15th of last month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains that any contact between North Korea and Japan should be in a direction that helps the denuclearization of North Korea and supports the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula. They also emphasize that Japan should communicate with South Korea as a party involved in the Korean Peninsula issue.
It is understood that Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae Yul conveyed this stance to Japan during the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last month, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
