S. Korea asks Cambodia to mediate with N. Korea

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 20 Kyodo

South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun on Monday asked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen if Cambodia could act as a mediator on the North Korean issue, a government spokesman said.

''The president of South Korea had asked Cambodia to act as mediator so that Cambodia can tell North Korea about South Korea's policy that it has no intention nor ambition to threaten the North Korean people,'' Khieu Kanharith told reporters, quoting Roh.

Roh made the request to Cambodia because ''Cambodia has had good relations with the two Koreas,'' he was quoted as saying.

Hun Sen accepted the request and assured Roh that the ''mediator's work'' will be conducted through the Foreign Ministry as well as personal contacts, Khieu Kanharith said.

Roh arrived in Cambodia on Sunday, the first visit by a South Korean head of state since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations in 1997.

Cambodia and South Korea established diplomatic ties in 1964, but the relations were cut off after the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975.

After a meeting lasting one hour, the two leaders also witnessed the signings of documents on visa exemptions, loans for Cambodia's information technology network and trade.

Since 1997, South Korea has provided $17.7 million in grants and

$91.4 million in loans to Cambodia, according to a statement released by the South Korean government.

The statement also said that the two-way trade volume was $150 million last year, with South Korea's exports of textiles, used automobiles and medical products accounting for $144 million, and Cambodia's exports to South Korea of clothing, natural rubber and fisheries products at $6 million.

Currently, some 1,200 South Koreans are living in Cambodia, and its total investment in Cambodia was worth $219 million in 2005, the statement said.

Roh will also meet with Chea Sim, acting head of state, and Heng Samrin, president of the National Assembly, during his four-day stay.

On Tuesday, Roh and Hun Sen will jointly preside over the inauguration ceremony of a world cultural exposition in Siem Reap, the hometown of the Angkor Wat temple complex.

South Koreans topped the list of foreign visitors to Cambodia in 2005 at 216,584, followed by Japanese at 137,849 and Americans at 109,419.

Only 2,221 Cambodians traveled to South Korea in 2005.

Roh flew into Cambodia after attending the two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Kyodo News International, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning