Japan, N. Korea begin new round of talks

TOKYO – Japan and North Korea will begin a new round of talks in Stockholm on Monday(May 26th).

The Japanese delegation will demand that the North launch a fresh investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents, according to Japan’s (NHK WORLD) website. 

The three-day talks follow the previous round held in March in Beijing. The Japanese delegation is led by Junichi Ihara, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.

North Korea will be represented by Song Il Ho, Pyongyang’s envoy for normalizing relations with Japan. 

In this round of talks, representatives of the two countries will discuss issues such as the abduction of Japanese nationals, as well as the North’s nuclear and missile programs. 

Japan will consider lifting some sanctions on North Korea in phases if Pyongyang shows its willingness to launch effective investigations. 

North Korea is expected to call on Japan to ease its sanctions and settle issues related to Japan’s past colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. –QNA