DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Song-gil said Pyongyang is ready to hold a summit meeting with Japan if Tokyo stops “hugging the past” and does not put the discussion of the abducted Japanese nationals as a negotiation condition. It has been reported Korea Central News Agency (KCNA).
According to Pak Song-gil, if Japan looks for ways to improve relations in accordance with the changing international environment and takes a new decision on mutual recognition, Pyongyang will have no reason not to hold talks between the two countries.
The North Korean diplomat said that the Japanese prime minister has repeatedly expressed his desire to hold a Japan-North Korea summit without preconditions, but it is still unclear what exactly he wants to achieve from it. Therefore, it is necessary to seriously consider why relations between countries have deteriorated even though negotiations at the highest level have taken place twice in the 21st century.
Pak Sung-gil noted that although Tokyo talks about the summit without preconditions, it actually puts the problem of solving the abduction of Japanese citizens, which, in the opinion of DPRK officials, has already been resolved as a condition.
North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that if Japan “tries to achieve unfulfilled desires using the methods of past officials, without better proposals and a bold decision to change history, it would be a mistake and a waste of time”. Pak Sung Gil urged Japan to show its positive attitude through action, not words.
Before the Japanese government returned to DPRK officials with a call to stop launching ballistic missiles with a reconnaissance satellite.