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N. Korean official urges new Japan leader to implement declaration

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Jong Thae Hwa, a former North Korean top negotiator in bilateral normalization talks with Japan, speaks in a recent interview with Kyodo News in Pyongyang. Jong said that North Korea urges the successor to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to implement a 2002 bilateral declaration committing the countries to work toward normalizing ties.

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N. Korea rules out talks if Japan sticks only to abductions

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Jong Thae Hwa, North Korean ambassador in charge of normalization talks with Japan, speaks to a group of Japanese reporters in Pyongyang on April 22. Jong ruled out talks on bilateral issues if Japan sticks only to the problem of Japanese abducted by the North.

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(1)Japan, N. Korea end talks in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Jong Thae Hwa, chief North Korean negotiator at the normalization talks with Japan, leaves a conference room at a Kuala Lumpur hotel Oct. 30 after winding up two days of talks.

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(2)Abduction still top issue as Japan-N. Korea talks go on

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Chief Japanese delegate Katsunari Suzuki (L) and his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa shake hands as they meet at a Kuala Lumpur hotel for their second day of talks on normalization of relations on Oct. 30.

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(4)Abduction still top issue as Japan-N. Korea talks go on

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Chief North Korean delegate Jong Thae Hwa (2nd from R) at the second and final day of talks on normalization of talks with Japan at a Kuala Lumpur hotel on Oct. 30.

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(2)Japan, N. Korea resume normalization talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Japan's chief delegate Katsunari Suzuki (3rd from R) speaks as his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa listens. The two countries resume talks on normalization of relations at the Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 29.

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(4)Japan, N. Korea resume normalization talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa, North Korea's chief delegate to the Japan-North Korea normalization talks that resumed in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 29.

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(1)Japan, N. Korea resume normalization talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Japan's chief delegate Katsunari Suzuki (R) and his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa shake hands at the start of talks on normalization of relations at the Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 29.

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Japan, N. Korea hold 2nd day of normalization talks

BEIJING, China - Japanese and North Korean negotiators hold a second day of talks on establishing diplomatic relations at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on Oct. 31. Fourth from left on the left side is Ambassador Kojiro Takano, head of the Japanese delegation, and sitting opposite him is North Korea's top negotiator, Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa.

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Japan, N. Korea end 1st session of normalization talks

BEIJING, China - Japanese Ambassador Kojiro Takano (L) and North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa leave the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Oct. 30 after ending the first session of a new round of talks on normalizing diplomatic relations. Japanese and North Korean negotiators met for three hours in the morning and will resume talks later in the day after a break for lunch.

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Japan, N. Korea begin normalization talks

BEIJING, China - Japan and North Korea began a new round of talks on establishing diplomatic ties in Beijing on Oct. 30. Japan is represented by a nine-member delegation headed by Ambassador Kojiro Takano (2nd from R) and North Korea by a seven-member delegation headed by Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (L).

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Japan, N. Korea to hold normalization talks in Beijing

BEIJING, China - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (L) answers questions from Japanese reporters at Beijing's airport on Oct. 28 ahead of talks with Japanese officials on establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries on Oct. 30-31 in the Chinese capital. Japan's negotiating team will be headed by Ambassador Kojiro Takano.

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Japan, N. Korea end talks on establishing ties

KISARAZU, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R), who leads his country's delegation in negotiations on establishing bilateral ties with Japan, proposes a toast with Ambassador Kojiro Takano, head of the Japanese side, at a party hosted by North Korea after ending the final day of talks at a hotel in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, on Aug. 24.

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Japan, N. Korea continue talks past schedule

KISARAZU, Japan - Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (L), chief of the North Korean delegation, and Ambassador Kojiro Takano, head of the Japanese team, walk toward the conference room at a local hotel Aug. 24 as they resume talks on normalization of bilateral relations.

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Japan, N. Korea hold final day of talks to establish ties

KISARAZU, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (L), who leads the country's delegation to negotiations on establishing bilateral ties with Japan, shakes hands with Ambassador Kojiro Takano, head of the Japanese side, prior to their final day of talks at a hotel in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture on Aug. 24.

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Japanese, N. Korean ambassadors share toast at dinner

TOKYO, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R), the head of a delegation to normalization talks with Japan, and Japanese Ambassador Kojiro Takano share a toast at a banquet to welcome the North Koreans at a Tokyo hotel on Aug. 22. Japanese and North Korean negotiators kicked off their second round of talks the same day on establishing diplomatic ties.

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N. Korean delegation visits Chongryun headquarters

TOKYO, Japan - So Man Sul (2nd from R), first deputy chairman of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun), welcomes members of a visiting North Korean delegation to Chongryun's headquarters in Tokyo on Aug. 23. The delegation, headed by North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (2nd from L), is negotiating the establishment of diplomatic ties with Japan. About 300 Chongryun members waved the North Korean flag and cheered as the guests entered the compound in Chiyoda Ward.

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N. Korea's Jong meets Japanese politicians

TOKYO, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R), who heads a delegation for talks with Japan, meets and shakes hands with Japanese politicians at the Diet building in Tokyo on Aug. 22. From left are Hiromu Nonaka, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, Masaaki Nakayama, head of the Japanese parliamentarian group for friendship with North Korea, and former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama. Japanese and North Korean negotiators kicked off their second round of talks the same day on establishing diplomatic ties.

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N. Korean negotiators arrive in Japan

NARITA, Japan - A North Korean delegation led by Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R) arrived in Japan on Aug. 21 for a second round of negotiations on establishing diplomatic ties. The delegation was welcomed at Narita airport by Kojiro Takano (L), ambassador in charge of normalization talks, who will head the Japanese team. The two sides will hold two plenary negotiations -- on Aug. 22 in Tokyo and on Aug. 24 in Kisarazu in the adjacent prefecture of Chiba.

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Japan, N. Korea kick off talks on diplomatic ties

TOKYO, Japan - Kojiro Takano (L), Japan's chief envoy for negotiations with North Korea on establishing diplomatic ties, and Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa, who leads the North Korean delegation, shake hands at the outset of the talks in Tokyo on Aug. 22. On Aug. 24, the two sides will move to Kisarazu in neighboring Chiba Prefecture for the second day of talks.

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N. Korean ambassador meets Kono

TOKYO, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa, who leads his country's delegation for negotiations with Japan on establishing diplomatic ties, pays a courtesy call on Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono in Tokyo on Aug. 22. The delegations of both countries kicked off their postponed second round of talks later in the day in Tokyo, which will be followed by a second day of talks on Aug. 24 in Kisarazu in neighboring Chiba Prefecture.

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N. Korean envoy meets the press

PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa speaks at a news conference at the end of the first round of talks on normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea on Aprul 7. He claimed Japan ''conveyed its intention to apologize (to Pyongyang) for the past and to compensate in line with the apology.''

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Japan, N. Korea delegates have a breather

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Kojiro Takano (L), chief Japanese delegate to Japan-North Korea diplomatic talks, and his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa (R) pose for pictures during a one-day sightseeing excursion to Mt. Myohyang, northeast of Pyongyang, on April 6.

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Japan, N. Korea agree on normalization efforts

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Kojiro Takano (R), who leads the Japanese delegation at talks with North Korea on normalizing diplomatic ties, and Jong Thae Hwa, who heads the North Korean side at the talks, pose for photographers at a welcome banquet for the Japanese officials in Pyongyang on April 4. Senior-level negotiations are being held for the first time since such talks collapsed in 1992.

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(1)Japan, N. Korea end talks in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Jong Thae Hwa, chief North Korean negotiator at the normalization talks with Japan, leaves a conference room at a Kuala Lumpur hotel Oct. 30 after winding up two days of talks. (Kyodo)

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(4)Abduction still top issue as Japan-N. Korea talks go on

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Chief North Korean delegate Jong Thae Hwa (2nd from R) at the second and final day of talks on normalization of talks with Japan at a Kuala Lumpur hotel on Oct. 30. (Kyodo)

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Japan, N. Korea agree on normalization efforts

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Kojiro Takano (R), who leads the Japanese delegation at talks with North Korea on normalizing diplomatic ties, and Jong Thae Hwa, who heads the North Korean side at the talks, pose for photographers at a welcome banquet for the Japanese officials in Pyongyang on April 4. Senior-level negotiations are being held for the first time since such talks collapsed in 1992.

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(4)Japan, N. Korea resume normalization talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa, North Korea's chief delegate to the Japan-North Korea normalization talks that resumed in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 29. (Kyodo)

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(2)Japan, N. Korea resume normalization talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Japan's chief delegate Katsunari Suzuki (3rd from R) speaks as his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa listens. The two countries resume talks on normalization of relations at the Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 29. (Kyodo)

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N. Korean negotiators arrive in Japan

NARITA, Japan - A North Korean delegation led by Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R) arrived in Japan on Aug. 21 for a second round of negotiations on establishing diplomatic ties. The delegation was welcomed at Narita airport by Kojiro Takano (L), ambassador in charge of normalization talks, who will head the Japanese team. The two sides will hold two plenary negotiations -- on Aug. 22 in Tokyo and on Aug. 24 in Kisarazu in the adjacent prefecture of Chiba.

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Japanese, N. Korean ambassadors share toast at dinner

TOKYO, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R), the head of a delegation to normalization talks with Japan, and Japanese Ambassador Kojiro Takano share a toast at a banquet to welcome the North Koreans at a Tokyo hotel on Aug. 22. Japanese and North Korean negotiators kicked off their second round of talks the same day on establishing diplomatic ties.

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N. Korean ambassador meets Kono

TOKYO, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa, who leads his country's delegation for negotiations with Japan on establishing diplomatic ties, pays a courtesy call on Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono in Tokyo on Aug. 22. The delegations of both countries kicked off their postponed second round of talks later in the day in Tokyo, which will be followed by a second day of talks on Aug. 24 in Kisarazu in neighboring Chiba Prefecture.

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N. Korea rules out talks if Japan sticks only to abductions

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Jong Thae Hwa, North Korean ambassador in charge of normalization talks with Japan, speaks to a group of Japanese reporters in Pyongyang on April 22. Jong ruled out talks on bilateral issues if Japan sticks only to the problem of Japanese abducted by the North. (Kyodo)

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N. Korean official urges new Japan leader to implement declarati

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Jong Thae Hwa, a former North Korean top negotiator in bilateral normalization talks with Japan, speaks in a recent interview with Kyodo News in Pyongyang. Jong said that North Korea urges the successor to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to implement a 2002 bilateral declaration committing the countries to work toward normalizing ties. (Kyodo)

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(2)Abduction still top issue as Japan-N. Korea talks go on

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Chief Japanese delegate Katsunari Suzuki (L) and his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa shake hands as they meet at a Kuala Lumpur hotel for their second day of talks on normalization of relations on Oct. 30. (Kyodo)

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(1)Japan, N. Korea resume normalization talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Japan's chief delegate Katsunari Suzuki (R) and his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa shake hands at the start of talks on normalization of relations at the Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 29. (Kyodo)

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Japan, N. Korea end talks on establishing ties

KISARAZU, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R), who leads his country's delegation in negotiations on establishing bilateral ties with Japan, proposes a toast with Ambassador Kojiro Takano, head of the Japanese side, at a party hosted by North Korea after ending the final day of talks at a hotel in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, on Aug. 24.

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Japan, N. Korea continue talks past schedule

KISARAZU, Japan - Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (L), chief of the North Korean delegation, and Ambassador Kojiro Takano, head of the Japanese team, walk toward the conference room at a local hotel Aug. 24 as they resume talks on normalization of bilateral relations.

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N. Korean delegation visits Chongryun headquarters

TOKYO, Japan - So Man Sul (2nd from R), first deputy chairman of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun), welcomes members of a visiting North Korean delegation to Chongryun's headquarters in Tokyo on Aug. 23. The delegation, headed by North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (2nd from L), is negotiating the establishment of diplomatic ties with Japan. About 300 Chongryun members waved the North Korean flag and cheered as the guests entered the compound in Chiyoda Ward.

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N. Korea's Jong meets Japanese politicians

TOKYO, Japan - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa (R), who heads a delegation for talks with Japan, meets and shakes hands with Japanese politicians at the Diet building in Tokyo on Aug. 22. From left are Hiromu Nonaka, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, Masaaki Nakayama, head of the Japanese parliamentarian group for friendship with North Korea, and former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama. Japanese and North Korean negotiators kicked off their second round of talks the same day on establishing diplomatic ties.

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Japan, N. Korea kick off talks on diplomatic ties

TOKYO, Japan - Kojiro Takano (L), Japan's chief envoy for negotiations with North Korea on establishing diplomatic ties, and Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa, who leads the North Korean delegation, shake hands at the outset of the talks in Tokyo on Aug. 22. On Aug. 24, the two sides will move to Kisarazu in neighboring Chiba Prefecture for the second day of talks.

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N. Korean envoy meets the press

PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korean Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa speaks at a news conference at the end of the first round of talks on normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea on Aprul 7. He claimed Japan ''conveyed its intention to apologize (to Pyongyang) for the past and to compensate in line with the apology.''

E

Japan, N. Korea delegates have a breather

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Kojiro Takano (L), chief Japanese delegate to Japan-North Korea diplomatic talks, and his North Korean counterpart Jong Thae Hwa (R) pose for pictures during a one-day sightseeing excursion to Mt. Myohyang, northeast of Pyongyang, on April 6.