October Korea-Japan Summit In Works

According to reports on September 29, Shinzo Abe, Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, is planning a summit meeting with President Roh Moo-hyun in Korea before mid-October.

Meanwhile, President Roh is scheduled to have a summit with President Hu Jintao around mid-October. When the schedule for a Korea-Japan summit is confirmed, the two summit meetings are expected to occur with a very short time interval between them.

A senior Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters, “During a phone conversation on September 28, President Roh and Prime Minister Abe agreed to have a meeting at an ‘appropriate time.’ The date has yet to be settled, but we are discussing it with the Japanese authorities so that it does not coincide with Chuseok. The meeting is very likely to take place either before or after the Korea-China summit scheduled to occur after Chuseok.”

No summit meeting between Korea and Japan has taken place for 15 months since then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to Seoul in June of last year. Another Korea-Japan summit will mark the eighth during the Roh administration.

In Japan, Kyodo News and others reported that discussions are underway so that Prime Minister Abe can visit Korea around October 7.

It is said that the Japanese Government made proposals to the Korean and the Chinese government that it wants to hold summits with Korea on October 7 and with China on the following day, respectively.

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