President Roh to Leave for Visits to India, Vietnam, Asia Europe Conference

President Roh Moo-hyun along with First Lady Gwon Yang-sook will leave Korea on a special flight on Monday morning in order to pay state visits to India and Vietnam, and to participate in the Fifth Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

President Roh will visit India from October 4 to 6 and have a summit talk with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Then he will fly to Hanoi, Vietnam and attend the Asia Europe Meeting from October 7 to 9.

The fifth Asia Europe Meeting will be held under the theme of substantiating partnerships between Asia and Europe. In this meeting, President Roh plans to ask for international support for the peaceful resolution of North Korean nuclear weapon issues. On the issue of South Korea’s nuclear experiments, President Roh will seek understanding from the international community by publicizing South Korea’s intention to use nuclear power for world peace.

During ASEM 5, President Roh will have one-on-one meetings with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on October 8 and with Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, on October 9. Luxembourg is the next holder of the EU presidency.

President Roh will start his state visit to Vietnam on October 10, after the ASEM 5 concludes. He will meet with Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong and return to Korea on October 12.

Jung-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com