Former ruling party head to visit U.S. next month

SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- Park Geun-hye, a former presidential aspirant and
chairwoman of the ruling party, plans to visit the United States next month to
speak on bilateral issues and latest developments involving the Korean Peninsula,
aides said Monday.
"Rep. Park is scheduled to give a public lecture at Stanford University in early
May at the university's invitation," and aide said, but added her itinerary has
not yet been finalized.
Park, a daughter of late former President Park Chung-hee, competed for the Grand
National Party's presidential nomination in 2007 against President Lee Myung-bak.
She still wields significant power in the ruling party and is also the
spiritual leader of the "Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance," a factional party formed by
her loyalists who bolted from the GNP. Park, however, is not officially
affiliated with the party.
Park is expected to discuss a variety of issue related to the Korean Peninsula,
including Seoul's ties with Washington and North Korea's recent rocket launch.
Her schedule may also include a visit to Silicon Valley in California and
meetings with Korean expatriates in the U.S., according to the aides.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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