Roh plans private talks with both Abe and Hu

President Roh Moo-hyun is scheduled to meet one-on-one with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday in Seoul and with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday in Beijing, the Blue House officially announced Wednesday. The Blue House chief security advisor, Song Min-soon, said that the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue would be a significant item on the table. The series of summit meetings follows Pyongyang’s announced plan to conduct a nuclear test.
Mr. Abe is scheduled to arrive in Korea Monday morning and have with Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook before meeting Mr. Roh in the afternoon, followed by a dinner hosted by Mr. Roh. Mr. Abe will leave the country that evening. Mr. Song hoped the meeting would “recover bilateral relations,” which have been strained by disputes over Japan’s imperialist history. “It will be an opportunity for us to ask Japan to take earnest measures to have a rightful understanding of history,” Mr. Song said.
Mr. Roh will fly to Beijing Friday morning to meet Mr. Hu, followed by a luncheon hosted by his Chinese counterpart. Mr. Roh will meet Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and the chairman of the National People’s Congress in the afternoon. Mr. Song said that North Korea’s nuclear plan is the most important matter for the summit. Other issues also include a historical dispute over ancient kingdoms of Manchuria, which Koreans have long regarded as part of their history. That belief was recently challenged by a Chinese research institute.

by Chun Su-jin