Kim Dae Jung: North Korea's ties with Japan, U.S. crucial.

SEOUL--South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's disclosure of his hopes on Monday for normalization talks with Pyongyang reflects an understanding that better relations between North Korea and Japan, and North Korea and the United States are indispensable for the improvement in the relationship between Seoul and Pyongyang.

The president made the statement in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Detente between the two sides, and efforts to solve the North's serious economic problems are needed if a North-South coexistence system favored by Kim is to be established. However, Kim pointed out that South Korea would not be able to achieve this alone.

The president's remark indicates that he hopes Japan will extend economic assistance and that the United States will offer security assistance …