President Roh, “We Will Continue South Korea-Japan Summit Meeting Plans”

President Roh Moo-hyun stated Sunday regarding the South Korea-Japan summit meeting planned for June in South Korea that “if there aren’t any other proposals, we should carry out the plan as is.”

This comment is seen as a response to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s comment on Friday, saying, “I want to meet with President Roh Moo-hyun in the near future.”

On the same day, while President Roh was hiking the Bugak Mountain with Cheong Wa Dae reporters, he said, “The Dokdo issue has occurred at a time while specific agendas were under negotiation. The date has not been set yet, but we can’t cancel Prime Minister Koizumi’s trip to South Korea.”

South Korea and Japan agreed last year to hold regular summit meetings twice a year, in South Korea during the first half of the year, and in Japan during the latter half.

President Roh said, “I needed to meet with the Japanese Prime Minister. If we want to advance the date for the South Korea-Japan summit meeting, both countries should have something substantial. All situations leading up to the meeting will be subject to discussion during the meeting,” indirectly demanding the Japanese government take concrete action before holding the summit meeting in June.

He also said, “We should not be satisfied with responses or investigations aiming only to soothe the situation temporarily,” expressing his intention to solve the Dokdo and the distortion of history issues substantially at a long-term base.

Jung-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com