Gov't seeks to sign new SOFA before Clinton ends term

The South Korean government has resolved to hold an official signing ceremony for the revised Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which was hammered out late last year, before U.S. President Bill Clinton leaves office on Jan. 20.

Toward this end, chief negotiator Song Min-Soon, director of the North Korea and U.S. affairs division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, traveled to the U.S. on Saturday to meet with Frederick Smith, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific.

Should the final talks go smoothly, the signing ceremony will be held before Jan. 20 at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea, with South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Suh Myung-Shik and U.S. Ambassador to Korea Steven Bosworth attending.

Ha Tae-Won scooop@donga.com