N. Korean envoy says no agenda set for high-level talks with Japan
North Korea's ambassador handling relations with Japan, Song Il-ho, said Saturday that no agenda has been set for high-level talks with Tokyo, taking a cautious stance on prospects about the first meeting between the two nations in more than a year.
North Korea and Japan are set to hold two-day talks in Beijing starting on Sunday, the first such meeting since November 2012, with the two sides expected to discuss the issue of abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents. The two agreed to resume the talks during their informal gathering in China earlier this month.
"These talks between North Korea and Japan are to be resumed after one year and four months. So, I will know what agenda and what issues will be discussed only when I hold the talks," Ambassador Song told reporters upon his arrival at the Beijing airport.
Song said the two sides will "hold consultations about the agenda when both sides meet."
Asked about the prospects for the talks, Song replied, "I will have to wait and see."
The Beijing talks come as unpredictable North Korea is making a hawkish-dovish approach to the outside world, while pushing ahead with nuclear and missile programs despite international sanctions.
This week, the U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea for test-firing two medium-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.
North Korea and Japan have never had diplomatic ties, and the abduction issue has long been a key stumbling block in normalizing their bilateral relations.