Korea pushes to resume stalled security consultations with Japan

South Korea is pushing to resume long-suspended security consultations with Japan later this year to discuss North Korea and regional security issues, a government source said Tuesday.

The security consultations, involving senior foreign affairs and defense officials, were held regularly under an agreement signed between the two countries in 1997, but have been suspended since 2009 due to tensions over historical and territorial issues.

The Asian neighbors had sought the security meeting last year, but the plan fell through after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's controversial war shrine visit drew an angry response from South Korea.

Japan's review of the 1993 Kono statement, which apologized for Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, also sparked a strong backlash. Japan colonized Korea from 1910-1945.

"Our basic stance is that we will cooperate with Japan in areas that need cooperation. We will have to handle tasks that have been long delayed, including holding a security policy consultation within this year," a senior Seoul government source said, asking for anonymity.

The two nations will likely discuss stepping up cooperation to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and Japan's controversial move to revise its pacifist constitution to bolster military activities.

"It is not likely that the two nations will exchange detailed opinions in regard to collective self-defense as the issue has not been finalized in Japan," the official said.

In a major turnaround from its pacifist policy following its defeat in World War II, Japan is going ahead with constitutional revisions to recognize the right to collective self-defense.

North Korea issues have also become urgent as Pyongyang has yet to engage in dialogue with Seoul while opening up to negotiations with Tokyo, namely on Japanese nationals abducted in the past by its agents.

The latest move for security talks comes as Seoul and Tokyo prepare for strategic dialogue between their vice foreign ministers in the coming months to discuss an array of bilateral issues, including Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II. (Yonhap)