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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks with South Korean special envoy Suh Hoon during a meeting at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo on Mar. 13. (AFP/Yonhap News)
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Special envoy Suh Hoon meets with Shinzo Abe to enlist cooperation on resolving North Korean nuclear issue
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a Mar. 13 meeting with South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) that Japan “lauds dialogue on the assumption of denuclearization” with North Korea. After the meeting, Suh quoted Abe as “voicing his respect of President Moon Jae-in’s leadership in connection with movements of change toward progress in inter-Korean relations and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” At the meeting of his meeting with Suh at his official residence in Tokyo, Abe said it was “extremely important for North Korea to take concrete action on denuclearization and put its words into practice.” He went on to stress that it is “Japan’s basic policy to resolve the North Korean nuclear and missile issue and the issue of abducted Japanese nationals [in North Korea].” “We will coordinate diligently and definitely with South Korea going ahead. We hope to commit our efforts to resolving the missile and abductee issues through trilateral cooperation with the US,” he added. In response, Suh said it was “highly significant that Kim Jong-un himself declared a willingness to denuclearize.” “Commitment and cooperation by the leaders of South Korea and Japan are of paramount importance in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and resolving the nuclear and missile issues,” he said. Suh also told Abe he “believe[s] this current has begun because of the positive climate that has formed since you and US Vice President Mike Pence attended the Pyeongchang Olympics.” After the meeting, Suh said he had “explained in detail about what happened in our meetings with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang and President [Donald] Trump at the White House.” “[Prime Minister Abe] said he would offer all cooperation for the success of the future inter-Korean summit and the later North Korea-US summit,” he added. Suh’s meeting with Abe was originally planned to last 11 minutes, but continued for one hour, the Blue House said. The Blue House also quoted Abe as saying, “Given that this is a situation where North Korea has major negotiations ahead with the inter-Korean summit and North Korea-US summit, I do not expect it will use this opportunity simply to buy time.” The Japanese government has previously disparaged dialogue signals from Pyongyang as a “stalling tactic.” It also reacted negatively when the agreement to hold an inter-Korean summit was first announced, dismissing Pyongyang’s approach as “smile diplomacy” and insisting that pressure on the North should not be weakened. Speaking before the Diet of Japan on Mar. 8, Abe said that North Korea “should not be rewarded simply for agreeing to dialogue.” But Trump’s announcement on Mar. 8 that he plans to hold a summit with North Korea in May prompted growing concerns in Tokyo that Japan was being left behind. Observers particularly worried that the negotiations would focus on abandonment of ICBMs, which pose a threat to the US, while omitting the medium-range missiles that threaten Japan. Abe has been particularly busy since the North Korea-US summit announcement, immediately stating his own plans to visit the US in mid-April for a summit with Trump. At least outwardly, the Japanese government has adopted a more positive assessment of the inter-Korean and North Korea-US dialogue. Foreign Minister Taro Kono, who previously dismissed inter-Korean dialogue with the argument that “anyone can say they’re willing to denuclearize,” said on Mar. 9 that he “tip[s] my hat to the South Korean government.” Kono reportedly plans to meet with Suh on Mar. 12 to share Japan’s readiness to provide support for the initial costs if North Korea undergoes IAEA inspection. By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent and Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
