BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Negotiators from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Japan met in Beijing Saturday afternoon for a new round of talks to discuss normalization of diplomatic ties, abduction and security issues.

    The two countries kicked off the discussions with a one-hour-plus plenary meeting of all delegates at a Beijing hotel, an official with the Japanese embassy in Beijing told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    He said that the top priority for Japan in the talks is to try to make progress in the abduction issue.

    "It is difficult to discuss normalization of diplomatic ties with the DPRK before the abduction issue is resolved," he said.

    Song Il Ho, ambassador in charge of DPRK-Japan talks under the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reportedly said that the key topic of the talks is on what Japan will do to make up for its past.

    "I believe we will be discussing issues of our interests in an earnest manner," Song, vice director of the Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department, told reporters upon his arrival at Beijing's international airport on Saturday.

    "The settlement of the past is an issue that the whole world is paying attention to," Song was quoted as saying. "We will take up this issue while assessing the level of preparation on the other side."

    The Japanese delegation is headed by Koichi Haraguchi, Japan's chief delegate for the normalization talks with the DPRK.

    Media reports said that the current round of talks is expected to last about five days.

    This new round of inter-governmental talks was held after more than three years of interval. The previous round of talks was held in Malaysia in 2002.

    Previously, the two countries held a meeting in Beijing on Dec. 24-25 last year, during which they agreed to set up three working groups on history, security guarantee and abduction issues. Enditem