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TOKYO : The foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea agreed Friday to boost efforts on a free trade deal while keeping up the pressure on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear facilities.
The announcement came as six-nation talks on Pyongyang's atomic programme have stalled amid disputes over its promised declaration of its activities.
"We agreed to maintain close cooperation on North Korea's nuclear programme," South Korea's Yu Myung-Hwan told reporters after meeting his Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura here.
Komura, meanwhile, said he had gained understanding for Tokyo's position that Japan and North Korea can only normalise ties "after a comprehensive solution in the nuclear programme, abduction and missiles."
Japan has taken a tough line against North Korea in the six-party disarmament talks, which also include the United States, China, South Korea and Russia. Relations between the two countries have been severely strained by Pyongyang's past abduction of Japanese citizens and missile tests.
The ministers said they also agreed to try to kick-start talks on a bilateral free trade deal.
"Regarding a free trade deal, I hope that the economic ties between South Korea and Japan will expand in a form of equilibrium," said Yu.
"But we have to give them a successful ending if we resume negotiations. So we agreed that we hold a preparatory meeting to enhance mutual understanding on each other's position, so that a deal benefits both South Korea and Japan," Yu said.
Free trade talks between Japan and South Korea have been suspended since November 2004 as Seoul tried to open up Japan's agriculture market. Both countries heavily protect their farmers.
South Korea's new president, Lee Myung-Bak, has sought to repair relations with Japan which were badly strained under his predecessor Roh Moo-Hyun, who accused Tokyo of failing to atone for its 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula.
Friday's meeting aimed to prepare for a planned April 20-21 summit between Lee and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo.
- AFP /ls
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