Japan Press Weekly

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2018 February 14 - 20 [POLITICS]

Abe puts chill on Seoul-Pyongyang talks

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo at a House of Representatives plenary session on February 13 expressed his intent anew to apply "pressure" on North Korea.

Abe insisted on adding pressure, in response to Miyamoto Toru of the Japanese Communist Party who noted a Japan-South Korea Summit meeting held in PyeonChang four days earlier where PM Abe urged President Moon Jae-in not to postpone the planned S. Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.

JCP Miyamoto at the session criticized Abe for throwing cold water on the positive move toward the resumption of talks between Seoul and Pyongyang.

Abe said that he suggested to his South Korean counterpart during the bilateral meeting to maximize pressure on N. Korea in every possible way, turning his back on global efforts to resolve the Korean Peninsula issues in a peaceful manner through dialogue.

An inter-Korea meeting took place on February 10 at the Blue House in Seoul on the occasion of the PyeonChang Winter Olympics, creating the momentum for reopening South-North talks.