Kim Yo-jong Positively Evaluates Unprecedented North Korea-Japan Summit
South Korea-Cuba Diplomatic Ties Established Amid US-Japan-South Korea Pressure
Japan's Approval Ratings Surge, but Summit Likely Difficult to Achieve
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un is delivering a policy speech at the Supreme People's Assembly held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on the 15th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 15th, Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, mentioned the possibility of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visiting Pyongyang in a statement. Experts analyze that this could be a highly political move reflecting the intentions of Chairman Kim Jong-un. Accordingly, there is speculation that a North Korea-Japan summit might be realized. For North Korea, it is necessary to send a warning to South Korea, which established diplomatic relations with Cuba, a brotherly country, for the first time in history, and for Japan, it is a time when a major diplomatic event is needed to recover Prime Minister Kishida's low approval ratings.
In fact, North Korea is in a situation where it cannot help but respond, as South Korea and Cuba secretly established diplomatic relations for the first time in history. However, rather than directly criticizing the decision of communist brother country Cuba, it is highly likely that North Korea will choose to respond indirectly through improving North Korea-Japan relations.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 1st of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]
From the perspective of Prime Minister Kishida, whose approval ratings continue to decline, a major diplomatic event is necessary. The previous day, Japan's Jiji Press reported that the approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet fell to 16.9% in February, marking the lowest since the administration began in October 2021. Having served as Foreign Minister for a long time, Prime Minister Kishida is strongly determined to rebound his approval ratings through a state visit to the United States in April and a North Korea-Japan summit.
Experts' forecasts are divided. Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies predicted, "If (Japan) does not condition the recognition of the right to self-defense and the resolution of the abduction issue, the day may come when Prime Minister Kishida visits Pyongyang." However, Eun-mi Choi, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said, "Unless substantial progress is made on issues such as Megumi Yokota, a symbol of the Japanese abduction issue, (the summit) will not be easy."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
