High-profile foreign delegates to attend ex-S. Korean president's funeral

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- Groups of foreign dignitaries were flocking to South
Korea on Saturday to attend the state funeral of late former South Korean
president Kim Dae-jung, internationally recognized for his life-long campaign for
the country's democratization and inter-Korean reconciliation.

The United States announced that it will send a 10-member delegation, led by
former secretary of state Madeleine Albright to the ceremony to be held at the
National Assembly compound in western Seoul on Sunday.
"The U.S. condolence delegation is scheduled to arrive at the Osan air base by
military plane at 6 p.m. today," a South Korean foreign ministry official said.
The team includes Stephen Bosworth, special representative for North Korea
policy, Harold Koh, legal advisor at the State Department, Wendy Sherman, former
counselor of the State Department, Evans Revere, president of the Korea Society,
and James Leach, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Also included are the U.S. ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens and her
predecessors _ Donald Gregg, Thomas Hubbard and James Laney.
On Bosworth's visit, South Korean officials said it is purely aimed at mourning
the death of Kim, who died Tuesday at 85 after battling pneumonia. They left the
door open however for the possibility of a meeting with his South Korean
counterpart Wi Sung-lac to review the recent developments pertinent to North
Korea.
China plans to send a 11-member group, headed by former state councilor and
foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan to the funeral. The largest foreign delegation to
Kim's funeral includes Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue, in charge of Asian
affairs and disarmament.
Japan's chief delegate will be former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono.
All the heads of the U.S., Chinese, and Japanese delegations had relatively many
chances to meet the former South Korean president while serving as their
countries' top diplomats during his presidency from 1998-2003.
Both the Chinese and Japanese teams are to arrive here later Saturday, officials
said.
Russia will not dispatch a separate delegation from Moscow and its ambassador to
Seoul Gleb Ivashentsov will attend the funeral.
Britain and Australia will be represented by Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State in
the department for transport, and Anthony Byrne, parliamentary secretary for
trade, respectively.
Cambodian Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith and East Timor's parliamentary
chief Fernando Lasama de Araujo.
flew into Seoul earlier Saturday.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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