N. Korea says Japan’s Kishida showed intention to meet Kim recently

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, arrives at the Vostochny Сosmodrome before a meeting of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo

SEOUL — North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently conveyed his intention to meet the North Korean leader soon through “another channel”, state media KCNA reported.

However, Kim said that improving bilateral relations between the two countries will depend on whether Japan can make practical political decisions.

“The prime minister should know that just because he wants to and has made a decision, it doesn’t mean he can or the leadership of our country will meet him,” Kim was quoted as saying in the KCNA report in Korean.

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“What is clear is that when Japan antagonizes the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and violates its sovereign rights, it is considered our enemy and will become part of the target,” Kim added.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the North’s official name.

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Kishida has said he wants to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “without any preconditions” and is personally overseeing efforts to realize the first such leaders summit in 20 years.

Kim’s sister, who serves in the ruling Workers’ Party, last month said Kishida may one day visit Pyongyang.

“If Japan … makes a political decision to open a new path for improving ties based on mutual respect and respectful behavior, it is my view that the two countries can open a new future,” KCNA quoted her saying.