ID :
64774
Mon, 06/08/2009 - 19:54
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https://oananews.org//node/64774
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Efforts under way to change S. Korea-Japan summit venue to Tokyo
SEOUL, June 8 Kyodo -
Arrangements are being made to change the venue of the summit between South
Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso at the end
of June from Kyoto to Tokyo, apparently in response to North Korea's recent
nuclear test, Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources said Monday.
In the wake of the May 25 underground nuclear test and amid signs the North is
preparing to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile, the Japanese side
determined that staging the summit in Kyoto would not be suitable given its
image as a tourist spot, and proposed to the South Korean side holding the
talks in Tokyo, according to the sources.
With the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election and the House of Representatives
election approaching, Aso also appears intent on showing a tough stance on
Pyongyang.
The summit, slated for June 28 and 29, forms a part of so-called ''shuttle
diplomacy'' that involves reciprocal visits by leaders of the two countries,
and follows the January summit in Seoul between Lee and Aso. At that summit,
Lee agreed to visit Japan within the year.
Kyoto was considered as a venue with the aim of demonstrating the relaxed
nature of the two leaders' relations by having an informal meeting in a
regional sightseeing area rather than formal talks in Tokyo.
The last time a summit between South Korean and Japanese leaders was held
outside the capital was in December 2004, when then Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun met at the spa resort
city of Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture.
The upcoming summit is expected to include an exchange of opinions on how to
respond to North Korea's nuclear test and the prospects of progress in the
six-way talks on the North's denuclearization. Also on the agenda will be talks
on accelerating discussions toward a bilateral economic partnership agreement
and on strengthening cooperation toward the stabilization of Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
==Kyodo
Arrangements are being made to change the venue of the summit between South
Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso at the end
of June from Kyoto to Tokyo, apparently in response to North Korea's recent
nuclear test, Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources said Monday.
In the wake of the May 25 underground nuclear test and amid signs the North is
preparing to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile, the Japanese side
determined that staging the summit in Kyoto would not be suitable given its
image as a tourist spot, and proposed to the South Korean side holding the
talks in Tokyo, according to the sources.
With the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election and the House of Representatives
election approaching, Aso also appears intent on showing a tough stance on
Pyongyang.
The summit, slated for June 28 and 29, forms a part of so-called ''shuttle
diplomacy'' that involves reciprocal visits by leaders of the two countries,
and follows the January summit in Seoul between Lee and Aso. At that summit,
Lee agreed to visit Japan within the year.
Kyoto was considered as a venue with the aim of demonstrating the relaxed
nature of the two leaders' relations by having an informal meeting in a
regional sightseeing area rather than formal talks in Tokyo.
The last time a summit between South Korean and Japanese leaders was held
outside the capital was in December 2004, when then Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun met at the spa resort
city of Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture.
The upcoming summit is expected to include an exchange of opinions on how to
respond to North Korea's nuclear test and the prospects of progress in the
six-way talks on the North's denuclearization. Also on the agenda will be talks
on accelerating discussions toward a bilateral economic partnership agreement
and on strengthening cooperation toward the stabilization of Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
==Kyodo
