No progress made in DPRK-Japan talks on abduction issue

No agreement was reached between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Japan when they met in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon to further discuss the abduction issue.

The talks lasted all afternoon following a morning session of discussions devoted to the security issue. This is the second time the two sides have discussed the abduction issue during their bilateral talks, which started in the Chinese capital on Saturday.

Kim Chol Ho, chief delegate from the DPRK, told reporters that during the talks huge differences were confirmed by the two sides.

The DPRK believes that the two sides should continue to cooperate and work together to resolve the issue, Kim said, noting that the DPRK assured Japan of their sincerity and desire to do so.

Kim's Japanese counterpart Kunio Umeda said Japan regrets that differences still remain between the stances of the two sides on the abduction issue.

"No progress was achieved in the talks," Umeda said.

As for the talks on the security issue Tuesday morning, Jong Thae Yang, deputy chief of the DPRK Foreign Ministry's U.S. Affairs Department, confirmed that the two sides had discussed East Asia peace and security issues.

"An understanding was reached during the talks," Jong said.

Tadamichi Yamamoto, Japanese ambassador in charge of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, called the talks a "frank exchange of views on the security issue including the nuclear and missile debates."

He admitted the two sides still have their differences but the talks were vital to deepen the understanding of each other's position.

They agreed on the importance of holding further negotiations based on the Pyongyang Declaration, he added.

According to the Japanese negotiator, to improve diplomatic ties between Japan and the DPRK requires agreement over the nuclear and missile issues, as well as the abduction debate.

The talks cover the three issues of abduction, improvement of diplomatic ties and security.

The talks on improving the diplomatic relations were held on Monday, with Koichi Haraguchi, Japanese ambassador in charge of the Japan-DPRK normalization talks, and Song Il Ho, ambassador of the DPRK in charge of the DPRK-Japan talks, as negotiators.

Negotiators from the DPRK and Japan are scheduled to meet again in a full meeting on Wednesday morning.

Source: Xinhua