Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korea's intelligence chief agreed Monday that Tokyo and Pyongyang should launch talks to take place as the United States and South Korea conduct their own dialogues with North Korea.
National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon told reporters after the meeting that he told Abe the mood surrounding North Korea's denuclearization has been improving after small twists and turns. Suh was one of the envoys who met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang last week.
The intelligence chief said he briefed Abe "in detail" about the outcome of the South Korean delegation's visit to the North, according to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo.