3rd trilateral summit still in planning

Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo are finalizing plans for a trilateral summit, the Blue House said yesterday, following media reports that the meeting will take place on Jeju Island in Korea at the end of May.

“The three countries are discussing the schedule of the summit, but the final plan hasn’t been made,” said Kim Eun-hye, spokeswoman for President Lee Myung-bak.

The Tokyo-based Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported yesterday that the trilateral summit will take place on the southern resort island in late May. The report said the summit will be the third of its kind, and President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao will likely discuss regional topics of interest, including joint research for a free trade agreement.

The last trilateral summit took place in Bejijng last October.

By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]