Kim to leave for Oslo tomorrow to attend prize award ceremony

President Kim Dae-Jung and First Lady Lee Hee-Ho will visit Norway on Dec. 8-11 to attend the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at the invitation of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, presidential spokesman Park Joon-Young announced Wednesday. The presidential couple will also make an official visit to Sweden on Dec. 12-13.

Besides attending the prize ceremony, President Kim is to meet with the Norwegian king, prime minister and National Assembly speaker, the spokesman said.

In a lecture to be delivered at ceremony on Sunday evening, President Kim is expected to present his vision for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, and democracy and human rights in Asia and the world. The award ceremony will be televised worldwide.

During his trip to Sweden, he will pay a courtesy call on the Swedish king, deliver a speech at the parliament building, and hold a summit with Prime Minister Goran Persson.

Also officially invited to the Nobel Prize ceremony are 44 Korean dignitaries from various walks of life, including Kang Moon-Kyu, chairman of the World Council of Churches, and 10 of Kim's relatives, including Hong-Kul, his third son.

Yun Seung-Mo ysmo@donga.com