North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a recent meeting that he was well aware of the abduction issue with Japan, according to Japanese sources.
Kim made the comment as Pompeo raised the need to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s, the government sources said Saturday.
The Japanese government has been analyzing what Kim's real intentions are, including whether he made the remark to indicate he understands the importance of resolving the issue, the sources said.