Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung sidestepped Kim's 1973 Tokyo abduction during their two-hour summit Thursday, but Kim later called for an inquiry into the truth of the case."I have said I would not raise the issue in any form to the governments of both countries," Kim said, answering a reporter's question on the matter at a joint postsummit press conference.Kim reiterated his 1980 statement that he will not seek punishment for those involved in the abduction, but he said, "The truth of the incident must be inquired into because it is an issue concerning human rights."Obuchi declined to comment directly on the abduction, but he praised Kim for having faced death many times to protect liberty and democracy in his country.Both their spokesmen had said they would not discuss the issue. Kim, then the main political rival of President Park Chung Hee, was abducted from a Tokyo hotel on Aug. 8, 1973, by unidentified men.
