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Wednesday July 5, 7:14 PMN. Korea repeats that abduction issue is already solved(Kyodo) _ A North Korean Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday problems regarding the past abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents have already been settled, repeating Pyongyang's line that is at odds with that of Japan.Ri Pyong Dok, a researcher in charge of Japan at the ministry, repeated in a press conference that North Korea has carried out thorough investigations, of which results were conveyed to Japan when a Japanese delegation visited in November 2004. "The investigation has brought about clear results," Ri said. Asked whether North Korea would consider resuming investigations in response to Japan's demand that it give a more convincing account of the Japanese abductees, he said, "This is an issue that has already been settled." Japan and North Korea are at odds over the fates of Japanese nationals who were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. A particular point of contention is the fate of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korean agents in Japan's Niigata Prefecture at age 13 in 1977. Kim Young Nam, believed to be a South Korean abductee and Yokota's husband in North Korea, last week told South Korean reporters that she committed suicide in 1994, towing the North Korean government line on the issue. Her parents say they remain convinced Yokota is still alive. On Wednesday, a group of Japanese reporters were taken to a residence in the outskirts of Pyongyang which some believe was that of Yokota. The reporters were also taken to a crematory, also in Pyongyang, where Kim Young Nam says Yokota was cremated. But the head of the crematory, Kim Ki Ho, said he did not remember the incident and could not confirm it through records since they were not at hand. |
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