North Korea may be looking to make the most of a low point in relations between its regional rivals.

Delegates from Japan and North Korea on Thursday concluded a two-day Red Cross-organized meeting in Shenyang, China and agreed to resume official government talks regarding abducted Japanese citizens and North Korea’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, already a year into her term, is just this week having her first formal meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. 

Elected to his second stint as prime minister just weeks after Park in late 2012, Abe was swept into office over concerns