PM Abe welcomes Intra-Korean talks

Monday, 08/01/2018 20:26
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on January 7th welcomed the intra-Korean talks on Pyongyang's participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics, but warned that "dialogue for the sake of dialogue is meaningless".

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe (Photo: Kyodo/VNA)

The only thing that will give the talks meaning is committed and concrete action by Pyongyang to abandon nuclear weapons and missiles in a complete, verifiable and irreversible way,” PM Abe told the NHK broadcaster.

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Unification Ministry Spokesman Baek Tae-hyun said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) side confirmed its consent to hold talks on January 9th in a notice sent via the communications channel in the "Truce Village" of Panmunjom.

The two sides agreed to work on the details of the talks "through the exchange of documents," adding that agenda items will be "issues related to improving inter-Korean relationships, including the Pyeongchang Olympic Games."

Earlier, the two nations reopened the communication channel that had been shut since 2016, following an offer from the DPRK’s leader Kim Jong-Un to send a team to next month's Winter Olympics in the RoK.

Yoon Young-chan, Senior Press Secretary for RoK President Moon Jae-in, told reporters that the reopening had great meaning, saying it would make regular intra-Korean talks possible./.

Compiled by BTA

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