Foreign Journalists Differ on Expectations for Summit

By Kim Tae-jong, Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporters

International journalists have descended on Seoul to cover the 2007 South-North Korean Summit in Pyongyang Oct. 2-4. For the reporters, a large-scale press center at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul is the closest they will get to relay news to the rest of the world without traveling to Pyongyang.

So far, some 850 journalists from 131 local news media outlets and 320 from 77 foreign news companies were registered at the center as of Monday afternoon.

Starting quiet in the morning with some domestic reporters and broadcasting technicians, the press room turned into a busy venue with more than 1,500 reporters by afternoon.

Along with their different nationalities, all expressed differing views and expectations about the summit. Ida Tetsuichi of The Hokkaido Shimbun Press hoped that the summit would lead to discussions concerning abductees to the North, an item the Japanese government has long been pushing for.

``I have high expectations for the summit as it will take place under the peaceful mood between the North and South,'' the Seoul bureau chief of the Japanese newspaper company said. ``I hope the issue of abductees will be discussed.''

Also, he added that if the two Koreas reach an agreement on denuclearization, it would be good news for the world.

Other reporters picked economic development and cooperation as the most important agenda for the summit.

``Solid agreement in peace and economic development would be top news, and signs of new engagement,'' Greg Torode, chief Asia correspondent editorial of South China Morning Post, said.

Leo Lewis, Asia business correspondent with The Times, said he is interested in which company will take part in business in the North following the Hyundai Group.

He also expressed hopes that the summit would provide President Roh Moo-hyun with an opportunity to achieve something great at the end of his term.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr
kswho@koreatimes.co.kr

Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn
Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn