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Article: North Korean leader admits kidnapping of 11 Japanese citizens.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- September 17, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TOKYO _ North Korean President Kim Jong Il surprised visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi with a confession Tuesday that North Korean agents had kidnapped 11 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s in order to teach language and culture to spies from the isolated, communist country. Six of the kidnap victims had died, while four are still alive and one is missing.
The sensational admission ended years of denials by the North Korean leadership. Koizumi had made resolving the kidnap issue a precondition for improving diplomatic or economic ties, although it remained uncertain whether the North Korean confession would clear the way for better ties, or ...