U.S. to confirm Clinton¡¯s N.K. visit in weeks

U.S. President Bill Clinton is expected to decide whether to visit North Korea in a couple of weeks based on a judgment if summit talks with North Korean National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-Il would help serve U.S. national interests in Northeast Asia, a White House spokesman said Monday.

Presidential spokesman Jake Siewert made the remark, reconfirming that Clinton would not travel to Pyongyang as part of his journey to the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit on Nov. 15-16 and a subsequent four-day stop in Vietnam.

Siewert said it has not yet been decided whether Clinton will visit North Korea. The U.S. will make a final decision on the issue in a couple of weeks, the spokesman added.

He said that the U.S. and North Korea made their respective positions clear in the recent missile talks, which were helpful to expanding their range of mutual concerns, but added that gaps between the two sides remain.

At present, substantial results have been achieved and it is not appropriate for Clinton to promote the trip (to North Korea), the spokesman added.

Han Ki-Heung eligius@donga.com