President Roh to Participate in Summit Meeting in Laos Today

President Roh Moo-hyun left Korea on Sunday morning via a special flight in order to participate in the Eighth Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) conference with Korea, China, and Japan, which will be held on November 29-30. Roh arrived in Vientiane, Laos that afternoon.

Roh is to meet with Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao and Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi in three-way summit talks on November 29, and talk about ways to resume six-way negotiations on the North Korean nuclear issue at the earliest possible date, and to design a free trade agreement among the three countries. Right after the three-way summit conference, Roh will meet with Wen separately and ask for China’s active role in inducing North Korea to the negotiation table.

Roh plans to emphasize the importance of the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear weapons issue and declare the South Korean government’s intention to actively fight against terrorist attacks in the “ASEAN plus three” summit conference.

Meanwhile, Ban Ki-moon, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, officially signed the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (TAC) at the Korea-ASEAN foreign ministers’ conference in Vientiane on November 27.

Jung-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com