State Secretary Powell Will Visit S. Korea to Attend Roh`s Inauguration

US State Secretary Colin Powell (photo) will attend the Feb. 25th inauguration ceremony of President-elect Roh Moo-hyun, confirmed State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher on Wednesday. Boucher said that Mr. Powell is scheduled to visit Tokyo and Beijing from Feb. 22nd-24th. Then, for 2 days from Feb. 24th, Mr. Powell is to stay in Seoul. He also added that the main purpose of Powell`s visit is to attend Mr. Roh`s inauguration ceremony. During his visit, Powell is expected to discuss various current issues with President-elect Roh, including the North Korean nuclear standoff.

Boucher also said that this visit of Powell would give a very important opportunity to discuss the North Korean situation with allies in Northeast Asia. But, he confirmed, Powell is not scheduled to contact North Korean authorities.

maypole@donga.com