A South Korean newspaper reported Japan and North Korea met secretly in mid-May despite Pyongyang’s strict stance.
South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo reported, citing multiple sources, that Japan and North Korea conducted a secret meeting in Mongolia in the middle of May despite Pyongyang’s refusal to enter into any talks. According to JoongAng Ilbo, the Japanese delegation to the meeting near Ulaanbaatar included a politician, while the North Korean side included three people, including a person linked to the DPRK’s General Intelligence Agency.
JoongAng Ilbo suggests the meeting might consider as an attempt by North Korea to make a “breakthrough economically and diplomatically.” The newspaper added Japan and North Korea had planned to meet last week in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, but it is not yet clear whether the meeting took place.
Japan’s chief government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi stated he was aware of the report but declined to comment due to “the nature of the matter.”
Abductions of Japanese Citizens
Tokyo remains seized of the issue of Japanese citizens abducted decades ago. With hopes of achieving results, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged in May 2023 to promote “high-level discussions” under his direct command to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. On 11 May, at a rally demanding the immediate return of the abductees, Kishida also promised to step up his efforts to hold the summit.
In February this year, Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong said in a statement the day may still come when Japan’s prime minister visits Pyongyang if Japan does not turn the abduction issue into an “obstacle” between the two countries. In addition, she issued another statement in March saying North Korea will “reject any contact and negotiations with the Japanese side,” criticising Tokyo for “clinging to the unattainable issues which can never be settled.”
Japan and North Korea have no formal diplomatic relations. Tokyo officially names 17 Japanese abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Five of the abductees returned to Japan in 2002 after then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang for the first-ever summit between the leaders.
