The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s president announced yesterday he would meet Japan's prime minister, despite a war shrine visit that angered Seoul and some other Asian nations including China.

Roh Moo-hyun also told foreign correspondents at the presidential Blue House it was unlikely the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) would attend next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in the ROK port city of Busan.

Roh said he would meet Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the sidelines of the APEC gathering that brings together the leaders of the 21 member economies from around the Pacific Rim.

"I would like to point out that Prime Minister Koizumi is also a welcome guest," Roh said during a question-and-answer session after a lunch with the reporters.

He would try to meet as many of the leaders as possible, with a focus on those with whom there are "outstanding issues."

"Whether there are issues or not, it would be only proper for me to meet with him," the ROK president said.

The Japanese Government has told Seoul that it wants a bilateral summit during the APEC meeting, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo.

"At this point there is no concrete agreement to hold such a meeting ... but we hope that a Japan-South Korea (ROK) summit will be realized using APEC as an opportunity," Abe said.

Koizumi's visit last month to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, where war criminals are enshrined, infuriated China, the ROK, the DPRK and others who were victims of Japanese militarism.

A Blue House official said the Roh-Koizumi encounter would be a courtesy meeting rather than a full-blown bilateral summit.

(China Daily November 9, 2005)