|
The Japanese government has suspended its plan to ship 125,000 tons of food aid and US$3 million (W3.17 billion) in medicine to North Korea after DNA tests revealed the remains of a Japanese kidnap victim turned over by Pyongyang were false.
Despite calls for adopting a tougher line on North Korea, the Japanese government has exercized caution ahead of placing further economic sanctions on Pyongyang. The government has resolved to keep dialogue channels with the North open and request that working-level talks on the abduction issue are reconvened early next year.
Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro said, "For the families of the kidnap victims, we mustn't immediately suspend dialogue."
The prime minister confessed that reconvening talks to establish bilateral diplomatic ties would be difficult under the circumstances, saying, "When North Korea genuinely carries out the Pyongyang Declaration, [an agreement on diplomatic relations] would become a realistic prospect, but we're not at that stage yet."
The Japanese media has seethed over the issue, declaring that, "Our suspicions have been revealed as fact."
The disclosure has given rise to emotional outbursts in many quarters, hinting at the level of resentment felt in Japan over having its citizens forcibly abducted by the rogue state.
One newspaper ran the headline, "Does North Korea take Japan for a fool?" while an editorial published Thursday entitled, "Kim Jong-il, Hear our Wrath," by the Asahi Shimbun offered the cooler verdict that, "We mustn't slap on economic sanctions, but Kim Jong-il mustn't forget that sanctions are one of our options."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
