Pompeo Promises to Raise Abduction Issue in Talks with Kim

October 8, 2018

Tokyo- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised Saturday to raise the issue of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals during his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We will bring up the issue of the abductees as well," Pompeo said to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when they met at the prime minister's office in Tokyo to discuss responses to North Korea's nuclear, missile and abduction issues.

Abe and Pompeo agreed that Japan and the United States will continue to work together to resolve the abduction issue.

The secretary stopped by Japan before flying to North Korea on Sunday to make final arrangements with Kim for a second summit between the North Korean leader and U.S. President Donald Trump following one in Singapore in June.

Abe and Pompeo agreed that it is important to fully implement sanctions against North Korea in line with related U.N. Security Council resolutions.

They reaffirmed close cooperation between Japan and the United States, as well as three-way cooperation also involving South Korea, to prod North Korea to take concrete action.

Pompeo said Japan and the United States will have "a fully coordinated, unified view of how to proceed" in order to be successful in denuclearizing North Korea.

Touching on coming negotiations on concluding a Japan-U.S. trade agreement on goods, or TAG, the secretary said the talks would be "incredibly important to each of our two countries" and sought an early start of the negotiations.

Later on Saturday, Pompeo held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. The two agreed to work closely in dealing with North Korean issues.

After visiting North Korea, the secretary will go to South Korea to report the outcomes of his meeting with Kim to President Moon Jae-in and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. He will also visit China on Monday to meet with senior government officials there.

Kono and Pompeo agreed to hold phone talks after the secretary's visit to North Korea in order to discuss their countries' policies toward the reclusive state. Jiji Press