Two major groups of Korean residents of Japan that were at loggerheads have been showing signs of mending relations since South Korean President Kim Dae Jung visited Pyongyang in June for the first-ever summit between the two Koreas.
The two groups -- the pro-Seoul Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) and the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) -- recently agreed for the first time to set up a mechanism for consultations with each other, sources said.
Senior Mindan officials visited Chongryun headquarters in Tokyo on Monday to convey their agreement with a Chongryun proposal to establish such a mechanism and repair their relations.