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TOKYO : South Korea's chief envoy on the nuclear disarmament of North Korea called on Tuesday for patience with the communist state, hoping for "concrete" action in the coming months.
Kim Sook held talks in Japan following weekend meetings in the United States in the wake of North Korea's long-delayed submission of documents detailing its nuclear programmes under a six-nation deal.
"We hope that North Korea gives us concrete results by the fall," Kim told reporters after talks with his Japanese counterpart Akitaka Saiki.
"While there has not been sufficient progress regarding North Korea, we both agreed we should have patience and need to maintain close discussions with the other five parties," Kim said.
The United States has held off on its promised removal of North Korea from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, saying there has not been sufficient progress made in finding ways to verify the nuclear declaration.
A Japanese foreign ministry statement said Saiki and Kim "agreed on the need to agree as soon as possible on a concrete verification framework."
North Korea has denounced the delay in the delisting, which would allow the impoverished state to receive foreign aid and loans.
Pyongyang, which tested an atom bomb in 2006, signed the deal last year to end its nuclear weapons drive in exchange for aid, security guarantees and diplomatic benefits.
Japan has refused to provide any aid and opposed the removal of North Korea from the US blacklist due to a row over the communist state's kidnappings of Japanese civilians in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies.
North Korea and Japan last week agreed on procedures for a re-investigation into the fate of the abductees, as sought by Tokyo.
"Japan needs to prepare for an atmosphere in which they offer energy support if there is progress on the abduction issue," Kim said.
The talks were the highest level between Japan and South Korea since a feud re-erupted between them last month over a set of islets. - AFP/de
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