Japan maintained Friday it will not change its policy of working with the United States and South Korea to raise pressure on North Korea even after Pyongyang agreed with Seoul to hold high-level talks next week. Earlier in the day, North Korea told South Korea it has accepted the
Japan maintained Friday it will not change its policy of working with the United States and South Korea to raise pressure on North Korea even after Pyongyang agreed with Seoul to hold high-level talks next week.
Earlier in the day, North Korea told South Korea it has accepted the South’s offer to hold a meeting Tuesday at the truce village of Panmunjeom in the heavily fortified demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.
„We won’t change our policy of maximizing pressure on North Korea through every means in cooperation with the United States, South Korea and relevant countries including China and Russia,“ Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference.
The top Japanese government spokesman also said Tokyo has been „closely cooperating“ with Washington and Seoul on the planned inter-Korean talks and wider North Korea policy by sharing information and adjusting policies.
The dialogue would be the first inter-Korean high-level talks since South Korean President Moon Jae In took office in May. The two Koreas last held such dialogue in December 2015.
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said he is „keeping an eye on (the inter-Korean dialogue) as it would not be talks for the sake of talking but could result in changing North Korea’s policies.
