| The leaders of South Korea and Japan are | | | | Japan needs the South Korean government's |
| promising a "new era" in their historically difficult | | | | support on the nuclear issue. |
| relationship. Following a Tokyo summit, officials of | | | | President Lee reassured the Japanese prime |
| the two countries say they will cooperate closely | | | | minister of that support. |
| on trade and security issues, bolstered by | | | | Mr. Lee says the two countries will tighten |
| frequent shuttle diplomacy. VOA's Kurt Achin | | | | cooperation to seek a peaceful end to North |
| reports from Seoul. | | | | Korean nuclear development, because it threatens |
| Standing beside South Korean President Lee | | | | Northeast Asia and the world. |
| Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo | | | | Pyongyang is more than four months late in |
| announced a revival of high-level contacts | | | | providing a complete declaration of its nuclear |
| between the two countries. He says the two | | | | stockpiles and activities. It promised that list by |
| sides are launching shuttle diplomacy. Mr. Fukuda | | | | the end of 2007. However, recent meeting |
| says he will visit South Korea, later this year, and | | | | between American and North Korean nuclear |
| that the two sides will meet during upcoming G-8 | | | | envoys in Singapore produced an apparent |
| summit talks in Japan, to establish a "new era" in | | | | breakthrough. A team of working-level U.S. |
| relations. | | | | diplomats arrived in Seoul, Monday. They head to |
| South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said he | | | | Pyongyang Tuesday for talks on finalizing the |
| wants "future-oriented" relations with Japan, | | | | declaration. |
| without what he calls the "knee-jerk reactions" | | | | The main obstacles delaying the document have |
| that have created friction in recent years. | | | | been U.S. accusations of a secret North Korean |
| Japan exerted harsh colonial rule over the Korean | | | | uranium enrichment program and suspicions |
| Peninsula for most of the first half of the 20th | | | | Pyongyang lent nuclear cooperation to Syria. North |
| Century. Many South Koreans say Tokyo has | | | | Korea is reported to be willing to "acknowledge" |
| never adequately made amends for abuses | | | | those concerns in a document separate from the |
| committed during that time. President Lee's | | | | formal declaration. |
| predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun, halted many | | | | Kim Sook, South Korea's chief delegate to |
| high-level contacts with Japan in a dispute over | | | | multinational nuclear talks with North Korea, told |
| visits by top-level Japanese politicians to a | | | | the South's Pyeonghwa radio network everything |
| controversial Tokyo war shrine. | | | | North Korea says will have to be verified. |
| Now, however, the two sides have agreed to | | | | He says South Korea will not be able to drop |
| renew cooperation toward a stalled trade | | | | suspicion without verifying the North's declaration. |
| liberalization deal and toward ending North Korea's | | | | He says it will have to be done objectively and |
| nuclear weapons programs. | | | | scientifically, rather than by just accepting the |
| Mr. Fukuda says Japan wants to normalize | | | | North's explanations. He says that it will take time. |
| relations with North Korea as soon as possible. | | | | Multinational nuclear talks can resume almost |
| However, as a precondition, North Korea must | | | | immediately after North Korea submits its |
| resolve the issues of kidnapped Japanese citizens | | | | declaration. South Korean officials say a new |
| and Pyongyang's missile development. He says | | | | round may convene as early as next month. |