Ruling party chief to visit Tokyo to meet FIFA officials

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- Chung Mong-joon, head of the ruling Grand National
Party (GNP), plans to visit Tokyo this weekend to watch a South Korea-Japan
football match and meet regional FIFA officials, his aides said Friday, as South
Korea seeks to host the 2022 World Cup finals.
Chung, who doubles as vice president and an executive committee member of FIFA,
will fly to Tokyo on Sunday, the Lunar New Year's holiday, to watch the game of
the four-nation East Asian football championship, they added.
"He is scheduled to meet FIFA officials from the other East Asian nations who
will be in the football stadium and talk about ways to develop the region's
cooperation on football and South Korea's bid to host the 2022 World Cup," a
party official said.
Chung will return to Seoul next Monday, he added.
The GNP leader accompanied President Lee Myung-bak on his visit to the
headquarters of FIFA, the world's football governing body, in Zurich late last
month.
Meeting with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Lee asked for his support for South
Korea's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA is scheduled to select the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in
December this year.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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