Former President to Discuss N.Korea Leader's Seoul Visit

Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung may discuss North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's reciprocal visit to Seoul when he travels to Pyongyang as planned in June, an official at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.

Seo Joo-seok, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for security policy, said the former president may not carry any official message from President Roh Moo-hyun.

"The North Korean leader's reciprocal visit to South Korea would be naturally a key agenda for the former president in Pyongyang, as that was an agreement made at their June 15, 2000, summit in the North Korean capital," Seo said in a KBS Radio talk show.

But Seo denied speculation that the former president would play a role in arranging a second inter-Korean summit.

"The government will not consider awarding any official status to the former president (for his planned North Korean trip).

Therefore, it remains uncertain whether he will carry any message from President Roh."

Regarding the suspended summit diplomacy with Japan, meanwhile, Seo said the South Korean government remains unchanged in its position to oppose any summit talks as long as Japan continues to distort their shared history.

Commenting on Washington's decision to award refugee status to six North Korean defectors last week, he said that Seoul will watch carefully to see its impact on stalled six-way talks over the North's nuclear weapons program.

"The latest developments in relations between the U.S. and North Korea could negatively affect the six-way talks. At the same time, however, the two sides are increasingly pressed to resolve pending problems through dialogue," Seo said.

The two Koreas agreed to hold working-level talks on May 16 to discuss former President Kim's proposed visit to North Korea in June.

Seoul proposed that Kim's plan to travel to the North via a to-be-restored railway between Seoul and Pyongyang be delayed from late April to June to avoid any misunderstandings related to the May 31 local elections.(Yonhap News Agency)