North’s denuclearization on dialogue agenda: S. Korean premier

February 12, 2018

Seoul- South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon assured a visiting Japanese parliamentary chief on Monday that it is totally impossible for Seoul to proceed with dialogue with North Korea by excluding the issue of the denuclearization of the reclusive country from its agenda.

At a meeting in Seoul with Tadamori Oshima, speaker of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, Lee also said that the inter-Korean dialogue, initiated in line with North Korea's participation in the ongoing Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, is aimed at realizing North Korea's denuclearization, according to Oshima, who briefed reporters on the meeting at a press conference.

Lee expressed South Korea's intention to work closely with Japan and the United States, according to Oshima.

In response, Oshima stressed, "We should share the goal of denuclearizing North Korea and clarify the direction toward achieving that target," while noting that he does not deny the need for dialogue.

On North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's proposal for a bilateral summit between him and South Korea President Moon Jae-in, Oshima, who heads a delegation of Japanese ruling bloc and opposition lawmakers to South Korea, said that Tokyo wants Seoul to consider the matter while holding discussions with Japan. Jiji Press