Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a longtime hardliner on North Korea, said Tuesday he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un after the once reclusive leader's historic summit with US President Donald Trump.

Abe, who one year ago warned at the United Nations that the window for diplomacy with North Korea was closing, took a more open but still cautious tone in his latest address to the world body.

But he said that any summit would be devoted to resolving a decades-old row over North Korea's abductions of Japanese civilians -- a deeply emotive issue for much of the Japanese public on which Abe built his political career.

"In order to resolve the abduction issue, I am also ready to break the shell of mutual distrust with North Korea, get off to a new start and meet face to face with Chairman Kim Jong Un," Abe said in his UN address, while stressing that nothing was yet in the works.

"But if we are to have one, then I am determined that it must contribute to the resolution of the abduction issue," he said.

North Korea kidnapped scores of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to train the regime's spies in Japanese language and culture.

Former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi travelled twice to Pyongyang to seek a new relationship with the current leader's father Kim Jong Il and was told by North Korea that remaining abduction victims were dead -- a stance adamantly rejected by Japanese family members and campaigners.

Speculation has been rising that Abe could meet with Kim, who reportedly told Trump during their summit in June in Singapore that he was willing to talk to arch-enemy Japan.

With South Korea's dovish President Moon Jae-in also courting Kim, fears have risen in Japan that it could be shut out of any ultimate resolution on North Korea if it refuses dialogue.

Trump in his own UN address earlier Tuesday pointed to his "bold and new push for peace" and saluted Kim's courage.

It was a far cry from a year ago, when Trump stunned assembled leaders by threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea and belittling "rocket man" Kim.

Despite Trump's optimism, many analysts are skeptical on how much North Korea has changed, saying the regime has already conducted the tests it needed to build its nuclear and missile programs.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a longtime hardliner on North Korea, said Tuesday he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un after the once reclusive leader's historic summit with US President Donald Trump.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a longtime hardliner on North Korea, said Tuesday he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un after the once reclusive leader's historic summit with US President Donald Trump. Abe, who one year ago warned at the United Nations that the window for diplomacy with North Korea was closing, took a more open but still cautious tone in his latest address to the world body. But he said that any summit would be devoted to resolving a decades-old row over North Korea's abductions of Japanese civilians -- a deeply emotive issue for much of the Japanese public on which Abe built his political career. "In order to resolve the abduction issue, I am also ready to break the shell of mutual distrust with North Korea, get off to a new start and meet face to face with Chairman Kim Jong Un," Abe said in his UN address, while stressing that nothing was yet in the works. "But if we are to have one, then I am determined that it must contribute to the resolution of the abduction issue," he said. North Korea kidnapped scores of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to train the regime's spies in Japanese language and culture. Former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi travelled twice to Pyongyang to seek a new relationship with the current leader's father Kim Jong Il and was told by North Korea that remaining abduction victims were dead -- a stance adamantly rejected by Japanese family members and campaigners. Speculation has been rising that Abe could meet with Kim, who reportedly told Trump during their summit in June in Singapore that he was willing to talk to arch-enemy Japan. With South Korea's dovish President Moon Jae-in also courting Kim, fears have risen in Japan that it could be shut out of any ultimate resolution on North Korea if it refuses dialogue. Trump in his own UN address earlier Tuesday pointed to his "bold and new push for peace" and saluted Kim's courage. It was a far cry from a year ago, when Trump stunned assembled leaders by threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea and belittling "rocket man" Kim. Despite Trump's optimism, many analysts are skeptical on how much North Korea has changed, saying the regime has already conducted the tests it needed to build its nuclear and missile programs.

Japan PM Abe open to summit with North Korea's Kim

US President Donald Trump announced that a senior North Korean official is headed to New York to discuss an upcoming summit,&nbsp;the latest indication that an on-again-off-again meeting between Trump and North Korea's leader may go ahead next month.

Kim Yong Chol, 72, will be the most senior North Korean official to meet top officials for talks in the United States since Jo Myong Rok, a marshal, met then-President Bill Clinton at the White House in 2000.

Kim Jong Chol has often be described as Supreme leader Kin Jong Un's "right-hand man" and also coordinated the North Korean president's two meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in April and May. He and Kim Jong Un's sister were the only North Korean officials to attend the first inter-Korean summit in April alongside the North Korean leader.

<img alt="128.PNG" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="390" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/128.PNG" width="697" />

He was also&nbsp;among a small and select group of North Korean officials who&nbsp;accompanied Kim Jong Un&nbsp;to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula&nbsp;to meet twice&nbsp;with South Korean President Moon Jae In.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently informed that Kim would be meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York, making him the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the US since 2000 when Jo Myong Rok, the late vice marshal, met with then-President Bill Clinton in Washington.

Kim has previously been a liaison officer with the United Nations, a border guard in the Korean demilitarised zone and was also a part of the team which carried out the breakthrough negotiations with the South Koreans in the early 1990s. Over the past decade, he was promoted to four-star general and made the head of the main North Korean intelligence service, known as the reconnaissance general bureau (RGB).

He is the current vice-chairman of the ruling Worker's party and was also one of the delegations from North Korea for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony.&nbsp;

He later served as the director of the General Reconnaissance Bureau, tasked with cyber-warfare and gathering foreign intelligence, from 2009 to 2016.

During his time as North Korea's military intelligence chief, Kim was accused of being responsible for the attacks on the South Korea warship Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island in 2010 in which 46 sailors had died.

He also allegedly had a hand in North Korea’s deadly shelling of South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island six months later.

He is also linked to the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures in 2014 and led the country's delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in South Korea's Pyeongchang earlier this year.

The United States and South Korea blacklisted Kim Yong Chol for supporting the North's nuclear and missile programmes in 2010 and 2016, respectively, so a visit to the United States would indicate the US&nbsp;government has granted him a waiver.

North Korea denied any involvement in both attacks.

Kim Yong Chol, 72, will be the most senior North Korean official to meet top officials for talks in the United States since Jo Myong Rok, a marshal, met then-President Bill Clinton at the White House in 2000

US President Donald Trump announced that a senior North Korean official is headed to New York to discuss an upcoming summit, the latest indication that an on-again-off-again meeting between Trump and North Korea's leader may go ahead next month. Kim Yong Chol, 72, will be the most senior North Korean official to meet top officials for talks in the United States since Jo Myong Rok, a marshal, met then-President Bill Clinton at the White House in 2000. Kim Jong Chol has often be described as Supreme leader Kin Jong Un's "right-hand man" and also coordinated the North Korean president's two meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in April and May. He and Kim Jong Un's sister were the only North Korean officials to attend the first inter-Korean summit in April alongside the North Korean leader. He was also among a small and select group of North Korean officials who accompanied Kim Jong Un to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula to meet twice with South Korean President Moon Jae In. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently informed that Kim would be meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York, making him the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the US since 2000 when Jo Myong Rok, the late vice marshal, met with then-President Bill Clinton in Washington. Kim has previously been a liaison officer with the United Nations, a border guard in the Korean demilitarised zone and was also a part of the team which carried out the breakthrough negotiations with the South Koreans in the early 1990s. Over the past decade, he was promoted to four-star general and made the head of the main North Korean intelligence service, known as the reconnaissance general bureau (RGB). He is the current vice-chairman of the ruling Worker's party and was also one of the delegations from North Korea for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony. He later served as the director of the General Reconnaissance Bureau, tasked with cyber-warfare and gathering foreign intelligence, from 2009 to 2016. During his time as North Korea's military intelligence chief, Kim was accused of being responsible for the attacks on the South Korea warship Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island in 2010 in which 46 sailors had died. He also allegedly had a hand in North Korea’s deadly shelling of South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island six months later. He is also linked to the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures in 2014 and led the country's delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in South Korea's Pyeongchang earlier this year. The United States and South Korea blacklisted Kim Yong Chol for supporting the North's nuclear and missile programmes in 2010 and 2016, respectively, so a visit to the United States would indicate the US government has granted him a waiver. North Korea denied any involvement in both attacks.

Kim Yong Chol: North Korean leader's right-hand man and ex-spy chief

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday said that North Korea can look forward to "a future brimming with peace and prosperity" if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons.&nbsp

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends," Pompeo told a news conference after talks with his South Korean counterpart in Washington.

"If Chairman Kim chooses the right path, there is a future brimming with peace and prosperity for the North Korean people," he said, adding that the United States had a track record of support for the Korean people that was "second to none."&nbsp

Pompeo also said that the process of denuclearisation will take "robust verification," while his South Korean counterpart insisted sanctions against North Korea would not be lifted before a June 12 leaders' summit.

"We are very clear that sanctions remain in place until and unless we see visible, meaningful action taken by North Korea on the denuclearization track," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told a joint news conference with Pompeo before the June meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Pompeo, who returned from Pyongyang this week with three Americans who had been held prisoner by North Korea, said the release of men had helped set conditions for a successful meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore on June 12.

North Korea`s development of nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the United States brought exchanges of bellicose rhetoric between Trump and Kim last year that raised fears of a new war on the Korean peninsula.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had high hopes of "doing something very meaningful" to curtail North Korea's nuclear ambitions at a summit in Singapore next month, after Pyongyang smoothed the way for talks by freeing three American prisoners.

 
&nbsp

Pompeo also said that the process of denuclearisation will take 'robust verification,' while his South Korean counterpart insisted sanctions against North Korea would not be lifted before a June 12 leaders' summit

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday said that North Korea can look forward to "a future brimming with peace and prosperity" if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons. "If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends," Pompeo told a news conference after talks with his South Korean counterpart in Washington. "If Chairman Kim chooses the right path, there is a future brimming with peace and prosperity for the North Korean people," he said, adding that the United States had a track record of support for the Korean people that was "second to none." Pompeo also said that the process of denuclearisation will take "robust verification," while his South Korean counterpart insisted sanctions against North Korea would not be lifted before a June 12 leaders' summit. "We are very clear that sanctions remain in place until and unless we see visible, meaningful action taken by North Korea on the denuclearization track," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told a joint news conference with Pompeo before the June meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. Pompeo, who returned from Pyongyang this week with three Americans who had been held prisoner by North Korea, said the release of men had helped set conditions for a successful meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore on June 12. North Korea`s development of nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the United States brought exchanges of bellicose rhetoric between Trump and Kim last year that raised fears of a new war on the Korean peninsula. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had high hopes of "doing something very meaningful" to curtail North Korea's nuclear ambitions at a summit in Singapore next month, after Pyongyang smoothed the way for talks by freeing three American prisoners.

Pompeo promises North Korea future 'brimming with prosperity' if it denuclearises

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South`s President Moon Jae-in discussed denuclearisation and a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula at their summit Friday, Moon`s spokesman Yoon Young-chan said.

"The two leaders had a sincere and frank dialogue over the denuclearisation and the establishment of permanent peace of the Korean peninsula and development of inter-Korea ties,"&nbsp; Young-chan added.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in wrapped up the first round of talks on Friday for their countries' first summit in over a decade, the South's presidential office said.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/watch-north-korea-leader-kim-jong-un-becomes-first-to-cross-south-since-1950-53-war-133133">Kim and Moon </a>will meet later in the afternoon after they have lunch separately. Kim returned to the North in a black limousine with bodyguards surrounding the vehicle as it made its way across the border.

The meet&nbsp;aimed at ending their decades-long conflict and easing tensions over the North's nuclear weapons programme, comes weeks before Kim is due to meet US&nbsp;President Donald Trump.

Moon greeted Kim at the military demarcation line, making Kim the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.

In an unplanned move, Kim invited Moon to step briefly across the demarcation line into North Korea, before the two leaders crossed back into South Korea holding hands.

The two were handed flowers by a South Korean boy and girl, residents of a village situated in the demilitarised zone.

Walking on a red carpet rolled out for the two heads of state, the pair were met by a South Korean honour guard in historical costumes and playing traditional music.

Kim wore glasses and his trademark black Mao suit, while the rest of the North Korean delegation appeared in military uniforms or Western attire.

Kim stopped to sign a guest book in the South's Peace House before the two leaders met for a private discussion.

"A new history starts now. An age of peace, from the starting point of history," Kim wrote in Korean in the book, dating and signing the entry.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kim-moon-talks-meticulously-constructed-roundtable-was-made-especially-for-korean-summit-133138">Meticulously constructed roundtable that was made especially for Korean summit</a>

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WATCH: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, crosses the southern border to meet rival Moon Jae-in for the summit on nuke crisis in Panmunjom. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SouthKorea?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SouthKorea</a> <a href="https://t.co/hq58iYQcUz">pic.twitter.com/hq58iYQcUz</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/989674433559384064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Earlier Friday, North Korea's official KCNA news agency said Kim would "open-heartedly discuss with Moon Jae-in all the issues arising in improving inter-Korean relations and achieving peace, prosperity and reunification of the Korean peninsula."

Just days before the summit, Kim said North Korea would suspend nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantle its only known nuclear test site.

Moon travelled to the meeting in a large motorcade, stopping briefly to greet dozens of summit supporters waving South Korean flags near the Blue House.

Hundreds of demonstrators were seen gathering in downtown Seoul from early morning to protest or support the summit.

Scepticism has been rampant about whether Kim is ready to abandon the hard-earned nuclear arsenal his country has defended and developed for decades as what it says is a necessary deterrent against US&nbsp;invasion.

The two neighbours expect to release a joint statement late on Friday - possibly called the Panmunjom Declaration - that could address denuclearisation and peace, and an improvement in relations, South Korean officials said.

Unending hostilities

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as a legacy of the Cold War conflict, which pitted the South, the United States and United Nations forces against the communist North, backed by China and Russia.

Kim and Trump are expected to meet in late May or June, with Trump saying on Thursday he was considering several possible dates and venues.

The White House released two photographs of then Secretary of State-designate and CIA chief Mike Pompeo's meeting with Kim in North Korea over the Easter weekend to discuss the planned summit. It was Kim's first known meeting with a US&nbsp;official.

The photos show Kim and Pompeo, who was confirmed as secretary of state on Thursday, shaking hands. In one they faced each other looking serious in the other they both appeared to wear faint smiles.

The latest summit has particular significance not least because of its venue: the Demilitarised Zone, a 160-mile (260-km) long, 2.5-mile (4-km) wide strip of land created in the 1953 armistice to serve as a buffer between the South and North.

For the first time, key moments such as Kim crossing the border into the South, the two leaders shaking hands and walking to the Peace House for their talks, were broadcast live.

Besides capturing the two leaders' candid interactions, the live feed broadcast a few hiccups, including when a key photo op blocked was blocked by a photographer's backside.

The meeting, aimed at ending their decades-long conflict and easing tensions over the North's nuclear weapons programme, comes weeks before Kim is due to meet US President Donald Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South`s President Moon Jae-in discussed denuclearisation and a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula at their summit Friday, Moon`s spokesman Yoon Young-chan said. "The two leaders had a sincere and frank dialogue over the denuclearisation and the establishment of permanent peace of the Korean peninsula and development of inter-Korea ties," Young-chan added. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in wrapped up the first round of talks on Friday for their countries' first summit in over a decade, the South's presidential office said. Kim and Moon will meet later in the afternoon after they have lunch separately. Kim returned to the North in a black limousine with bodyguards surrounding the vehicle as it made its way across the border. The meet aimed at ending their decades-long conflict and easing tensions over the North's nuclear weapons programme, comes weeks before Kim is due to meet US President Donald Trump. Moon greeted Kim at the military demarcation line, making Kim the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War. In an unplanned move, Kim invited Moon to step briefly across the demarcation line into North Korea, before the two leaders crossed back into South Korea holding hands. The two were handed flowers by a South Korean boy and girl, residents of a village situated in the demilitarised zone. Walking on a red carpet rolled out for the two heads of state, the pair were met by a South Korean honour guard in historical costumes and playing traditional music. Kim wore glasses and his trademark black Mao suit, while the rest of the North Korean delegation appeared in military uniforms or Western attire. Kim stopped to sign a guest book in the South's Peace House before the two leaders met for a private discussion. "A new history starts now. An age of peace, from the starting point of history," Kim wrote in Korean in the book, dating and signing the entry. Also read: Meticulously constructed roundtable that was made especially for Korean summit WATCH: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, crosses the southern border to meet rival Moon Jae-in for the summit on nuke crisis in Panmunjom. #SouthKorea pic.twitter.com/hq58iYQcUz — ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2018 × Earlier Friday, North Korea's official KCNA news agency said Kim would "open-heartedly discuss with Moon Jae-in all the issues arising in improving inter-Korean relations and achieving peace, prosperity and reunification of the Korean peninsula." Just days before the summit, Kim said North Korea would suspend nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantle its only known nuclear test site. Moon travelled to the meeting in a large motorcade, stopping briefly to greet dozens of summit supporters waving South Korean flags near the Blue House. Hundreds of demonstrators were seen gathering in downtown Seoul from early morning to protest or support the summit. Scepticism has been rampant about whether Kim is ready to abandon the hard-earned nuclear arsenal his country has defended and developed for decades as what it says is a necessary deterrent against US invasion. The two neighbours expect to release a joint statement late on Friday - possibly called the Panmunjom Declaration - that could address denuclearisation and peace, and an improvement in relations, South Korean officials said. Unending hostilities Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as a legacy of the Cold War conflict, which pitted the South, the United States and United Nations forces against the communist North, backed by China and Russia. Kim and Trump are expected to meet in late May or June, with Trump saying on Thursday he was considering several possible dates and venues. The White House released two photographs of then Secretary of State-designate and CIA chief Mike Pompeo's meeting with Kim in North Korea over the Easter weekend to discuss the planned summit. It was Kim's first known meeting with a US official. The photos show Kim and Pompeo, who was confirmed as secretary of state on Thursday, shaking hands. In one they faced each other looking serious in the other they both appeared to wear faint smiles. The latest summit has particular significance not least because of its venue: the Demilitarised Zone, a 160-mile (260-km) long, 2.5-mile (4-km) wide strip of land created in the 1953 armistice to serve as a buffer between the South and North. For the first time, key moments such as Kim crossing the border into the South, the two leaders shaking hands and walking to the Peace House for their talks, were broadcast live. Besides capturing the two leaders' candid interactions, the live feed broadcast a few hiccups, including when a key photo op blocked was blocked by a photographer's backside.

Kim and Moon discussed denuclearisation and permanent peace on peninsula: Presidential office

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Japan PM Abe open to summit with North Korea's Kim

Kim Yong Chol: North Korean leader's right-hand man and ex-spy chief

Pompeo promises North Korea future 'brimming with prosperity' if it denuclearises

Kim and Moon discussed denuclearisation and permanent peace on peninsula: Presidential office