Paek Nam-Sun Will Not Participate In ARF

North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun will not participate in the 8th Asian Regional Forum (ARF) in Hanoi, Vietnam, July 25.

A Hanoi diplomatic source revealed that ``North Korea will send a vice-minister level ambassador as the chief delegation to ARF Foreign Minister meeting due to `various domestic situations.```

Consequently, the Inter-Korean Foreign Minister meeting and the North-U.S. Foreign Minister meeting can not be held during ARF.

A government official analyzed that ``the North might be uncomfortable to have a high official meeting because its detail plans for the resumption of the Inter-Korean dialogue and the North-U.S. dialogue and the return visit of chairperson Kim Jong-Il are not ready.``

Foreign Minister Han Seung-Soo will meet Japan`s Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko in Hanoi, July 25, to discuss the current issues of the Japan`s distorted historical textbooks and the fishing operation in the Kuril Islands.

Meanwhile, Koenraad Rouvroy, the Belgian concurrent ambassador in both Koreas, , who visited the North to present the credentials to North Korea, briefed yesterday that Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun said, ``Chairperson Kim Jong-Il will visit Seoul.``

Ambassador Rouvroy said this at the dinner discussion meeting in the Korea Press Center hosted by the Korean Christian Press Club but, according to him, Foreign Minister Paek did not reveal a timetable.

spear@donga.com