S. Korea, China and Japan to hold summit next month

SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and the leaders
of China and Japan will meet in Beijing next month to discuss a variety of issues
including North Korea's nuclear program and climate change, Seoul's presidential
office said Thursday.
"It is true that the trilateral summit will be held on October 10," said Park
Sun-kyoo, a spokesman for the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae. "But details
should be discussed for the summit."
Foreign ministers of the three nations will meet in Shanghai on Monday to prepare
for the summit, the second of its kind since December last year in Japan, he
said.
Lee will hold a separate summit with Japan's new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, to discuss topics such as the North
Korea nuclear issue, as well as global climate changes.
During U.N. meetings held in New York this week, Lee proposed a "grand bargain"
to provide massive economic assistance to North Korea in return for the North's
nuclear dismantlement.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il last week told a Chinese envoy that his nation is
committed to denuclearization and "peace and stability" on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim's comments apparently signaled a commitment to the long-standing six-nation
talks that involve the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)