Japan, DPRK to hold Red Cross talks in Shenyang

Red Cross officials from Japan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will hold a two-day meeting from March 19 in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, Japan's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The two sides held a similar talks in Shenyang on March 3. Like the previous talks, Japan plans to send officials from Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to the event.

According to Japan's Kyodo News agency, foreign ministry officials from the two countries are expected to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming session.

The two countries' Red Cross societies will continue to discuss how to collect and return the remains of Japanese who died during World War II.

Ri Ho-rim, secretary general of the DPRK's Red Cross and chief of the Pyongyang delegation, told reporters after last talks that both sides discussed the return of the Japanese citizens' remains and agreed to continue talks to resolve the issue.