Former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung said Tuesday he personally hopes the normalization of Japan-North Korea ties can be discussed at the inter-Korean summit next month.
At an event hosted by New York's Korea Society, Kim said he hopes the abductee issue will also be discussed during the upcoming event.
"Once (the North Koreans) normalize their relations with Japan, they will also be able to gain some resources from Japan, which will amount to about $10 billion," said Kim, 81. He added that companies from Europe and the United States "should make inroads into the North Korean economy."
"I think North Korea has . . . resources, very abundant and practical underground mineral resources, and North Korea has a very good labor force which is cheaper than in other countries," he said.