South Korean spy chief proposes Olympic summit with US, North Korea, Japan: Report
11 November, 2020
South Korea's spy chief has proposed a summit of the leaders of america, Japan and both Koreas through the Tokyo Olympics next year, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported on Wednesday (Nov 11).
Park Jie-won made the proposal in Japan, where he arrived on Sunday for his first trip as head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) targeted at improving relations strained by a feud over compensation for Koreans forced to work for Japanese organizations during its 1910 to 1945 colonial rule.
Park suggested the summit throughout a Tuesday meeting with new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, saying it might take up the issues of North Korea's denuclearisation and the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents, the newspaper said.
Japan's relations with both North and South Korea have always been difficult, largely as a result of its colonisation of the Korean peninsula.
Park conveyed South Korean President Moon Jae-in's willingness to normalise ties with Japan, that he said there needed to be some Japanese apology or expression of regret for the wartime forced labour, the newspaper said.
"The Olympics could give a chance to resolve the bilateral problem of forced labour and regional issues including North Korea's nuclear programmes and Japanese abductees," the newspaper cited Park as saying.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Park had suggested that Moon and Suga announce a fresh declaration to build on a 1998 joint pledge of a "future-oriented relationship".
"Both leaders are strongly ready to resolve current issues," the news agency quoted Park as saying.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's attendance at such a summit would be a landmark.
The NIS declined to touch upon the reports.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato didn't elaborate on the summit suggestion in a briefing but said Suga told Park that cooperation between Japan, South Korea and america was essential in coping with North Korea.
Kato cited Suga as demanding that South Korea "create an opportunity to restore healthy relations between Japan and South Korea, which were in a very extreme situation".
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