fire a missile, but a South Korean official said the activities could be part of annual military maneuvers. The testing in August 1998 of a North Korean Taepodong ballistic missile, which passed over Japan and landed in the Pacific, caused increased tension in the region. The issue of the abductions has stalled efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries, who also disagree on how to resolve the international stand-off over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. At summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in September 2002, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il said the 10 abductees were either dead or not recognized as living in North Korea. A further meeting between the two leaders in May of this year however ended with Kim pledging to re-examine the issue of the missing Japanese citizens. The North Korean leader has admitted that North Korean agents abducted 13 Japanese citizens more than 20 years ago, but claims that eight have since died. Japan had suspended all aid to North Korea in 2002 because of the abduction issue, but donated 250,000 tons of rice and 10 million dollars worth of medicine during Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang in May. Talks in August on the issue of abductions failed to produce any breakthrough, diplomats said.
