Japan's foreign minister visit Seoul

Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono visited Seoul today. Kono will meet his South Korean counterpart, Lee Joung-Binn, tomorrow and discuss the content of a special declaration on the Korean Peninsula that the coming summit of the Group of Eight will adopt. He will also pay a courtesy call to President Kim Dae-Jung.

An official of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that Kono will brief Lee on the details of the draft statement, where Japan expresses its support for the inter-Korean summit. And he plans to reflect Korea¡¯s stance to the special statement.

At the foreign ministers¡¯ talks, Kono also will reportedly discuss a variety of pending issues of mutual concern, including bilateral cooperations in their future North Korea policies, establishment of Japan¡¯s diplomatic relations with North Korea, extension of suffrage to Koreans living in Japan and a successful holding of 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup.