North Korean leader Kim Jong Il indicated at this week's first-ever inter-Korean summit that he is willing to work toward normalizing ties with Japan, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official quoted South Korean President Kim Dae Jung as saying Saturday.
Kim Dae Jung briefed Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on the landmark Pyongyang summit by phone in the morning, the official said. Mori, who was at a hotel in Nagoya on a campaigning trip for the June 25 general election for the Lower House, talked with the South Korean president for about 20 minutes.
During their conversation, South Korea's Kim said he conveyed Mori's message of "strong will and eagerness" to normalize relations with Pyongyang, and quoted North Korea's Kim as saying, "I am willing to accept Prime Minister Mori's message," the official said.