North Korea and Japan have agreed to hold working-level Red
Cross talks starting on March 3rd, reportedly in the Chinese city of Shenyang. The first formal bilateral contacts since 2012, the talks were reportedly arranged on North
Korea’s initiative and will be attended by both Red Cross and diplomatic
officials from the two sides.
The talks agenda is expected to concern the remains of Japanese servicemen lost in North Korea during WWII, and may
also cover the thorny bilateral issue of Japanese civilians abducted by North
Korean agents during the second half of the 20th Century.
Analyzing the reasons behind the apparent North Korean call for
dialogue, one Seoul-based expert told Daily NK, “It is happening because it
matches North Korea’s interests. They want to obtain humanitarian
assistance through Red Cross talks with Japan, and Japan wants to create a
diplomatic channel to North Korea in order to wield greater influence.”
“We ought to see it as an extension of North Korea’s recent
strategy of adopting a conciliatory attitude while seeking to obtain investment,” the expert
went on. “Economic growth is a pressing matter for systemic stability, and they
are employing a range of strategies to try and overcome the current situation,
where nobody is investing there due to sanctions.”
