Moon to raise Japanese abductee issue with North Korea

Moon Jae-in

SEOUL, Apr 24 (Agencies): South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he will raise the issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted decades ago by North Korea in his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week.

Moon's office said Wednesday he told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a telephone conversation that resolving the issue would contribute to peace in Northeast Asia.

Moon is to meet Kim on Friday at the border village of Panmunjom in a rare summit between the Koreas. The rivals remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Earlier, Thailand on Tuesday volunteered to host the hotly-anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as speculation swirls about the venue.

"Thailand is ready to facilitate and host the talks," Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters, though he stressed that the kingdom has not been contacted about the possibility.

The US embassy declined to comment.

Kim is set to meet South Korea's president Moon Jae-in on Friday, an event seen as a major stepping stone towards the summit with Trump.

Earlier this month Trump said five locations were under consideration for a summit "probably in early June", which he hopes will result in a denuclearisation deal with North Korea. But he did not specify where, leaving observers to speculate on anywhere from Mongolia to Scandinavia and Singapore.