By Lee Min-hyung

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his willingness to have a dialogue with Japan to resolve decades-long bones of contention between the two nations, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in an interview with Japanese local media, Tuesday.

"Dialogue between Pyongyang and Tokyo should be resumed, as possibly normalized bilateral relations between the two countries will help bring peace and stability to Northeast Asia," President Moon told Yomiuri Shimbun.

The interview was released a day before Moon's visit to Tokyo for the trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Moon's remarks were largely based on his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un late last month.

In particular, Moon delivered Kim's intention and willingness for normalizing Pyongyang-Tokyo relations.

"I told Kim about Abe's intention to proceed with the normalization of relations with the North by settling the past problems between both sides. Kim clearly said he was ready to have a dialogue with Japan anytime."

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If Pyongyang and Tokyo hold a summit, the leaders of the two nations are expected to narrow their differences on historic issues surrounding Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea.

In 2002, then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il demanded tens of billions of dollars in compensation for Japan's wartime atrocities, in a meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Chances are that Kim will follow similar footsteps by claiming compensation from his Japanese counterpart, bringing up historical issues and its pledge for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

On Tokyo's side, the country will ask North Korea to repatriate Japanese nationals abducted by the regime in the 1970s and 1980s.

President Moon underlined the need for intensifying cooperation with the Japanese government to resolve the North's nuclear issue.

"A strongly pessimistic view has prevailed regarding a possible change in North Korea's attitude, including its nuclear disarmament," Moon said. "But for now, a peace momentum has been created since the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February, and North Korea agreed to complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the peninsula."

Toward the goal of building lasting peace in Northeast Asia, Moon also called for Japan to continue joining hands with the two Koreas via dialogue-driven diplomacy.

"I am aware there is a growing sense of pessimism in Japan over resolving the abduction issue with North Korea," Moon said. "But my view is that both sides can find a middle ground to the decades-long problems by actively engaging in a dialogue in a careful manner."

He also called for Japan's sincere apology for its past wrongdoings, especially the sexual slavery of Korean women, to improve Seoul-Tokyo relations. Moon's predecessor, Park Geun-hye, signed a deal with Japan to settle the sexual slavery issue, but the deal has been criticized ― by many of the victims, the public and the Moon administration ― for not reflecting the victims' opinions.

"I call for efforts to overcome historic issues between the two nations, but I also push for future-oriented cooperation with Japan," he said.