Lee, Aso to discuss FTA, North Korean nuke at summit

(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from a presidential spokesman; CORRECTS a typo in 8th para)
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- Cooperation to overcome the deepening economic woes in
South Korea and Japan will likely top the agenda of talks between the heads of
the two countries when they meet here next week for a summit, the presidential
office said Wednesday.

Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso will arrive here Sunday for a two-day visit that
will also include a state dinner with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, it
said.
"President Lee will hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Aso on Monday to
exchange views on a wide range of issues, such as ways to maintain and develop
Korea-Japan relations and boost substantial cooperation in the economic sector,
including the financial markets," Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.
An official earlier said the two leaders will also discuss the possibility of
signing a free trade agreement.
Other issues include the continued dispute over North Korea's nuclear ambition
and increasing the countries' cooperation on international issues. The two will
hold a joint press conference following their summit, the office said.
A Japanese daily, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, reported earlier Wednesday that the two
heads of state will also discuss the possibility of launching a joint development
program in Afghanistan, to which the countries have been asked separately but
repeatedly by their mutual ally, the United States, to send more support.
Lee Dong-kwan, a spokesman for the South Korean presidential office, later
acknowledged the Afghanistan issue will be put on the table, saying "details" of
the plan will be discussed at the summit.
The Lee-Aso meeting, the third of its kind since the Japanese premier came into
office in September, however, also comes after Tokyo announced plans to launch a
survey of its marine resources, a move that has often led to conflicts with Seoul
as Korea views it as Japan's attempt to lay claim to the South Korean islets of
Dokdo in the East Sea.
The Cheong Wa Dae official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Japanese
side had wished to discuss issues related to "fishing" in waters between the two
countries at the upcoming summit.
Seoul has refused to put the issue on the table, the official said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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