PYONGYANG -- Four of the 11 Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and '80s are alive but six others are dead, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during their landmark talks on Tuesday.
Kim for the first time acknowledged North Korea's responsibility and offered an apology, pledging that such incidents will never be repeated, according to a Japanese official who briefed reporters.
In a joint declaration released after the talks, Koizumi and Kim agreed the two countries would resume bilateral normalization talks next month, pledging to make every effort to quickly normalize ties. The talks stalled in October 2000.
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