President Moon Jae-in has emphasized Japan’s role and contributions for building peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. 

Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono at the presidential office on Thursday, Moon also said South Korea will do its best to help Japan and North Korea normalize their bilateral ties. 

President Moon noted the conditions have been made in which relations between the two Koreas and between North Korea and the United States will develop in a virtuous cycle, adding that he hoped Japan-North Korea relations will also be normalized in the near future. 

Assessing that the U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore produced an excellent joint statement, President Moon said he's expecting Seoul, Washington and Tokyo will closely cooperate and coordinate to implement the agreements completely and swiftly. 

He added Seoul will also cooperate with Tokyo on the issue of the abduction of Japanese citizens by the North in the 1970s and 1980s.

Moon said he relayed Tokyo’s concerns when he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in April and U.S. President Donald Trump did the same during the Singapore summit.

[Photo : YONHAP News]