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5 November 2002
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North Korea has threatened to resume ballistic missile testing unless progress is made in normalizing relations with Japan, Reuters reported today. Pyongyang is "of the view that the D.P.R.K. (North Korea) should reconsider the moratorium on the missile test-fire in case the talks on normalizing the relations between the D.P.R.K. and Japan get prolonged without making any progress as was the case with the recent talks," a North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a state-run Korean Central News Agency report. North Korean and Japanese delegates met in Kuala Lumpur last week for two days of talks on normalizing relations between the two countries (see GSN, Oct. 30). They remain divided on key issues such as Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program (see GSN, Nov. 4). Japan will not compromise its position in the talks, said Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He added that he expects North Korea to abide by its missile test moratorium, which it agreed to extend indefinitely when Koizumi visited Pyongyang in September (see GSN, Sept. 18). "I do not believe North Korea will trample on the fundamental spirit of our Pyongyang agreement," Koizumi said. "We will speak firmly as we continue our negotiations" (Sieg/Lies, Reuters, Nov. 5).
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