South Korean Presidential Office on Monday rejected the main opposition Grand National Party's (GNP) request to delay the inter-Korean summit until after December's presidential elections.
"The GNP's request is preposterous," said Presidential Spokesman Cheon Ho-seon, adding that the inter-Korean summit and the six-party talks should go hand in hand.
"It is not clear whether the inter-Korean summit, if put off again until the next government, could be held. Even if the summit is held under the next administration, we would have to wait longer than one year," Cheon told a news briefing.
South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed early August that South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will visit Pyongyang on Aug. 28-30 and hold summit with DPRK top leader Kim Jong-il. The South Korean government announced last Saturday that the summit was postponed to Oct. 2-4 under a request of DPRK due to severe flood damage in DPRK.
GNP spokeswoman Na Kyung-won said Sunday the DPRK's sudden request for the postponement is suspicious, with the rescheduled date and the presidential election merely two months apart.
Source: Xinhua
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