The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday it is preparing to receive former South Korean president Kim Young-sam after his secretary revealed a planned trip to Taiwan Tuesday.
Kim's secretary said President Chen Shui-bian (
"Our government invited Kim to visit Taiwan. We are happy to see him coming here," said ministry spokesman Michel Lu (
Kim expressed his willingness to visit Taipei after Taiwan and South Korea signed an agreement to resume air transportation on Sept. 1, sources said.
Air transportation between Taiwan and South Korea ceased after the two countries cut diplomatic ties in 1992.
In a statement Kim had issued to the South Korean media Tuesday explaining his planned Taiwan trip, he said during a previous visit in 2001 Chen had invited him to return to Taipei if the two sides could resume air transportation. Kim said he promised Chen at the time that he would visit Taipei after direct flights between the two countries resumed.
Kim said in the statement that during his trip, he wanted to congratulate the Taiwanese people for the resumption of flights with South Korea, which had been suspended for 10 years. While in Taipei Kim will attend a party in celebration of the revival of the flights.
Although Taiwan and South Korea signed an agreement to resume air transportation in September, the pact has yet to be implemented because both sides are still negotiating air traffic rights, a spokesperson for the Civil Aeronautics Administration said yesterday.
Kim is scheduled to meet Chen, Premier Yu Shyi-kun, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Sources said Kim will also be meeting with Taiwanese business leaders to discuss strengthening trade ties between the two countries. He is slated to give a speech at National Chengchi University.
On Tuesday, South Korea's Joong Ang Daily reported Kim had rejected demands by China to cancel his trip to Taipei.
The Chinese embassy in Seoul claimed the timing of Kim's visit to Taiwan was sensitive, according to the newspaper. The embassy claimed that Kim's visit to Taiwan comes at a time when Chen is seeking Taiwan's independence, and is thus inappropriate, the report said.
Chinese officials in South Korea also said Kim's visit will "hurt the feelings" of the 1.3 billion Chinese people. "The visit will send the wrong message to Taiwan, because Mr Kim is a former president," the paper quoted embassy officials as saying.
An official from South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said its government has no influence over its former president's decision to visit Taiwan.
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