Unification minister to visit Japan this week to discuss N. Korea

SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top point man on North Korea will visit Japan this week to discuss Seoul-Tokyo cooperation on Pyongyang and other pending issues, his office said Monday.

Unification Minister Kwon Young-se plans to leave for Tokyo on Wednesday for a four-day trip at the invitation of the Japanese government, according to the ministry. It will be the first time for the South Korean unification minister to visit Tokyo on the "invitation program for ministers" hosted by Japan's foreign ministry.

During the visit, Kwon plans to brief officials there on South Korea's approach toward North Korea and unification strategy as a follow-up to the summit talks last week between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and discuss ways to boost cooperation on wide-ranging issues, including those abducted by North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, the ministry added.

"We expect Kwon's visit to contribute to the development of cooperative ties between South Korea and Japan related to policies on unification and North Korea to a higher level," it said.

Kwon's upcoming visit to Japan comes as the Yoon administration is seeking to bolster coordination with Washington and Tokyo to cope with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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