Japan would be an "important partner" in South Korean President Moon Jae-in's economic cooperation initiative with the North if denuclearization becomes a reality on the divided Korean Peninsula, South Korea's unification minister said.
Cho Myoung-gyon, a key player in the negotiations with Pyongyang, also said in an interview Friday that allowing North Korea to normalize diplomatic ties with Japan and the United States would provide "stable footing" for denuclearization to proceed.
It was the first time Cho had granted an interview to foreign media since the April 27 inter-Korean summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the truce village of Panmunjom.