Hwang Explains Summit Talks to Prime Minister Mori

President Kim Dae-jung's chief security advisor Hwang Won-tak, who is currently in Japan, met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on June 20. Hwang reported on the results of the inter-Korea summit talks and asked for Japan's cooperation in following the necessary steps to realize the agreement.

Hwang explained that President Kim told North Korean leader Kim Jong-il about Prime Minister Mori's wishes to re-establish relations with North Korea and the worries about North Korea's nuclear and missile project. Hwang said that the North Korean leader had seemed to have understood.

Prime Minister Mori replied by saying he hoped the summit talks would have a good effect on restoring North Korea-Japan relations. He said he would work on the relations with the cooperation from South Korea and U.S.

Before Hwang met with Prime Minister Mori, he had a short meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Yohei Kono. Minister Kono said Japan could cooperate with the two Koreas on economic matters as an extension of Japan's existing economic plans.

by Oh Young-hwan