Unsure of 2d Summit, Kim Says

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il may not visit South Korea after all, President Kim Dae-jung acknowledged Wednesday.

In a marked departure from his previous expressions of assurance, President Kim admitted "disappointment" over the pace of inter-Korean relations and "uncertainty" over the North Korean's hoped-for visit.

"Although we are disappointed, we are not downright discouraged, because when we are dealing with the North Koreans of course we will experience setbacks, but also we experience progress as well," Mr. Kim said in an interview with Reuters at the Blue House.

A return visit by Kim Jong-il to Seoul had been agreed on at last year's Korean summit, when Kim Dae-jung traveled to Pyeongyang, the first South Korean leader to do so. But now, President Kim said, "I cannot be fully certain about it."

A senior government official amplified. "The president is expressing his regret that the agreements reached at the June 15 summit are not being implemented due to the gap in perception on various issues but mainly over [Seoul's] heightened post-Sept. 11 security alert," the official said.

The president's remarks clearly diverge from his previous optimistic forecasts and aggressive exhortations to Pyeongyang to schedule the visit. The change in words and tone presage a different approach to engaging the North in the future, North Korea watchers said.

Mr. Kim said he had not given up on his "sunshine policy." Analysts expected change would be in the pace or style of negotiations. They suggested that Seoul, which has been criticized for giving in too easily to the North, would be less likely to do so at future inter-Korean talks, or to assist Hyundai's floundering tourism project at Mount Geumgang.

Some observers contended that Mr. Kim's remarks were simply his latest of eight public public pleas for the visit to take place. The prevailing interpretation, however, was that the visit is probably off, against the background of broken inter-Korean dialogue and a hardening of the U.S. stance against North Korea.

by Lee Young-jong