Foreign minister to visit Beijing for talks on N. Korea

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with minister's comments)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said
Tuesday that he will meet senior Chinese officials to "brainstorm" over how to
counter the latest North Korean missile threat and break a deadlock in the
six-party talks on its nuclear ambitions.
"Rather than making a specific proposal on the issues, I plan to have a
brainstorming session there," the minister told reporters before heading to
Beijing later in the day.
During the two-day stay in the Chinese capital, Yu will hold talks with his
counterpart Yang Jiechi, the first between the two this year.
Yu is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Premier Wen Jiabao Tuesday
afternoon and meet Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's
International Department, on Wednesday.
Wang visited Pyongyang late last month, becoming the first foreign guest to meet
with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who is believed to have suffered a stroke
last summer. Speculation persists about Kim's recovery and power succession.
Intelligence suggests North Korea has resumed its ballistic missile activity and
analysts who scrutinized satellite photos say it seems to have almost completed
preparations for a long-range missile launch from a base on its east coast.
The minister said that bilateral trade issues will also be high on the agenda,
noting trade with China accounts for 24 percent of South Korea's international
trade volume.
Yu also warned against the possible temptation to shift to protectionism amid the
global economic woes.
The minister's visit comes after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured
South Korea, China, Japan, and Indonesia last week.
In his talks with the Chinese minister later Tuesday, Yu said he will share the
results of their respective talks with the secretary.
Yu will be accompanied by Seoul's top nuclear negotiator Kim Sook, but Kim has no
plan for a separate meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who is
now outside of Beijing, according to the minister. Wu chairs the disarmament
talks which also involve the United States, Russia, and Japan.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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