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Friday June 30, 1:14 PMJapan-S. Korea cooperation vital in handling abductions: Abe(Kyodo) _ Enhanced cooperation between Japan and South Korea is important for moving forward efforts to resolve the issue of North Korea's past abductions of Japanese and South Korean nationals, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Friday.Abe made the remark in response to a question about whether the denial by Kim Young Nam, a South Korean man believed to have been abducted to North Korea and who married a Japanese abductee there, that he was taken to the North by force may be a ploy by Pyongyang to divide Japan and South Korea. "It is quite difficult to imagine what North Korea's intentions are, but the important thing is for Japan and South Korea to steadily coordinate with each other, exchange information and resolve this important abduction issue with a common understanding," Abe told a press conference. While Japan has repeatedly demanded North Korea return any abductees still in the country, provide concrete evidence about what happened to the missing and hand over agents involved in the abductions, South Korea has been passive about bringing up the issue with the North due to its engagement policy. Concerning repeated calls by the families of Japanese abduction victims to impose economic sanctions on North Korea to pressure it to return any abductees, the top Japanese government spokesman said such a move would be the "ultimate" action. "We will continue to demand (North Korea) return all abduction victims on the premise that the victims are alive, and in this process, we want to resolve this issue with the approach of dialogue and pressure," Abe said. "Of course the problem will not be resolved unless the North Korean side engages in dialogue. We will have to consider putting more pressure on it if it does not show a sincere response, but we recognize economic sanctions as the ultimate pressure," he added. Abe said that until the time comes for imposing economic sanctions, the Japanese government is thinking about various kinds of pressure that can be exerted on North Korea and has implemented some measures. On Thursday, Kim, 44, told South Korean reporters in the North Korean resort of Mt. Kumgang where he was reunited with his mother and sister on Wednesday for the first time in 28 years that he was not abducted but was rescued by a North Korean boat while drifting at sea. |
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