ID :
134392
Sat, 07/24/2010 - 00:33
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/134392
The shortlink copeid
Ex-N. Korean agent Kim leaves Japan after 4-day visit
TOKYO, July 23 Kyodo -
Former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui left Japan on Friday afternoon for South
Korea, completing a four-day visit during which she met with relatives of
Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang in the past.
While the 48-year-old Kim, who was responsible for a fatal explosion on a South
Korean airliner in 1987, did not provide fresh information on the whereabouts
of abductees, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said Friday her visit was
''very meaningful.''
''I know there are many evaluations of this visit,'' Sengoku said at a news
conference. ''But I believe it has helped many people in the country to develop
strong indignation and interest regarding the abduction issue that represents a
violation of human rights and national sovereignty.''
After arriving in Tokyo on a government-chartered plane early Tuesday, Kim
stayed at former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's country house in Karuizawa,
Nagano Prefecture, where she met with relatives of two abductees -- Yaeko
Taguchi and Megumi Yokota.
In Tokyo on Thursday, Kim also met with relatives of other abductees, while
dining with some lawmakers.
Kim departed Tokyo's Haneda airport on a Japanese government-chartered plane
Friday afternoon
Despite Sengoku's assessment of the visit, the special treatment accorded to
Kim by the government, including her stay in the summer resort home and travel
by helicopter, has drawn criticism from a number of opposition lawmakers.
Hiroshi Nakai, the state minister in charge of abduction issues, defended the
40-minute helicopter flight Thursday over bay areas, saying, ''I don't think
that flying for just a little while should be subjected to criticism.''
Effectively admitting that the flight had included sightseeing, Nakai said,
''If this should be criticized, then no one in the world with information would
come to Japan,'' while stressing that the helicopter was primarily used to
avoid traffic.
Sengoku also defended the tight security measures that were enforced as
providing ''the quietest possible environment'' for her meetings.
Sengoku also said he is not aware of how much the government spent on Kim's visit.
Meanwhile, the government released photographs and video without sound taken
during the closed meetings. The total 30-minute-long video contains scenes
including Taguchi's 33-year-old son, Koichiro Iizuka, cooking together with
Kim, and Kim wiping away tears as she meets the parents of Yokota.
Kim's meeting with Yokota's parents, 77-year-old Shigeru Yokota and his
74-year-old wife Sakie, was a highlight of her visit as Megumi Yokota, who was
abducted in 1977 at age 13, has become a symbolic figure in Japan along with
the parents who have long strived to secure their daughter's return.
The government's special task team for dealing with abduction issues said the
sound of the video was removed as the contents of their conversations are
confidential, and added it will be uploaded onto its website soon.
==Kyodo
Former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui left Japan on Friday afternoon for South
Korea, completing a four-day visit during which she met with relatives of
Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang in the past.
While the 48-year-old Kim, who was responsible for a fatal explosion on a South
Korean airliner in 1987, did not provide fresh information on the whereabouts
of abductees, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said Friday her visit was
''very meaningful.''
''I know there are many evaluations of this visit,'' Sengoku said at a news
conference. ''But I believe it has helped many people in the country to develop
strong indignation and interest regarding the abduction issue that represents a
violation of human rights and national sovereignty.''
After arriving in Tokyo on a government-chartered plane early Tuesday, Kim
stayed at former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's country house in Karuizawa,
Nagano Prefecture, where she met with relatives of two abductees -- Yaeko
Taguchi and Megumi Yokota.
In Tokyo on Thursday, Kim also met with relatives of other abductees, while
dining with some lawmakers.
Kim departed Tokyo's Haneda airport on a Japanese government-chartered plane
Friday afternoon
Despite Sengoku's assessment of the visit, the special treatment accorded to
Kim by the government, including her stay in the summer resort home and travel
by helicopter, has drawn criticism from a number of opposition lawmakers.
Hiroshi Nakai, the state minister in charge of abduction issues, defended the
40-minute helicopter flight Thursday over bay areas, saying, ''I don't think
that flying for just a little while should be subjected to criticism.''
Effectively admitting that the flight had included sightseeing, Nakai said,
''If this should be criticized, then no one in the world with information would
come to Japan,'' while stressing that the helicopter was primarily used to
avoid traffic.
Sengoku also defended the tight security measures that were enforced as
providing ''the quietest possible environment'' for her meetings.
Sengoku also said he is not aware of how much the government spent on Kim's visit.
Meanwhile, the government released photographs and video without sound taken
during the closed meetings. The total 30-minute-long video contains scenes
including Taguchi's 33-year-old son, Koichiro Iizuka, cooking together with
Kim, and Kim wiping away tears as she meets the parents of Yokota.
Kim's meeting with Yokota's parents, 77-year-old Shigeru Yokota and his
74-year-old wife Sakie, was a highlight of her visit as Megumi Yokota, who was
abducted in 1977 at age 13, has become a symbolic figure in Japan along with
the parents who have long strived to secure their daughter's return.
The government's special task team for dealing with abduction issues said the
sound of the video was removed as the contents of their conversations are
confidential, and added it will be uploaded onto its website soon.
==Kyodo
