S.Korea hails Japan-DPRK summit meeting

South Korea welcomed the outcome of the summit meeting held between leaders of Japan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) earlier Saturday.

"We hail the results of the Japan-DPRK summit," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Shin Bong-kil said in a statement. "It has paved the way for bettering bilateral relations (between Japanand the DPRK)."

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday morning and held 90-minute meeting with DPRK top leader Kim Jong Il. It was Koizumi's second trip to Pyongyang, thefirst one was in September 2002.

Shin also said his government thought Japan and the DPRK procured good result over the Japanese abductee issue, and welcomed the reconfirmation of the Pyongyang Declaration signed byJapan and the DPRK in Koizumi's 20002 Pyongyang visit.

During the talks, Kim agreed to let five family members of Japanese abductees go to Japan with Koizumi, a move widely seen as a breakthrough in relations of the two countries.

"We evaluate these will lead to a turning point for the normalization and improvement of the relations of the two countries," Shin said. Japan and the DPRK has not established diplomatic ties so far.

The spokesman also said Seoul government thought it was a meaningful result that the DPRK leader Kim Jong Il clarified principals in the summit such as the DPRK wanted a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and Pyongyang was willing to solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through six-party talks.

"South Korea will continue the 'Peace and Prosperity Policy' and pushing the inter-Korean relation forward," said Shin, adding "We hope talks between Japan and the DPRK over normalizing bilateral relations can bear good result as early as possible."

"Peace and Prosperity Policy" is a name of South Korea's new policy toward the DPRK which adopted after South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun took office in last February. The spirit of the policy is promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula while pursuing mutual prosperity for South Korea and the DPRK.

Source: Xinhua