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2nd LD Writethru: UN chief says he hopes to visit Pyongyang "at earliest possible date"

Xinhua, November 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday voiced his hope of visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "at the earliest possible date," but the relevant effort "takes time."

The secretary-general made the statement in response to press questions following his signing of a condolence book at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations to pay tribute to former South Korean President Kim Young-sam, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 88.

Asked when his visit to the DPRK would take place, Ban said, "That is something I cannot respond at the moment, but I will say that we will make the effort to do so at the earliest possible date."

"It takes time to advance work, and since there are many sensitive issues at play, so I require that you follow the situation with patience," he said.

"As one national of the Republic of Korea, I have often stated, as you well know, my willingness to play any role if there was an opportunity, including through a visit to North Korea, to promote peace and reconciliation between the South and North Koreas, and reduce tensions," Ban said.

"The relations and political situation between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had not been conducive, but recently DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong visited the UN Headquarters twice, providing opportunities for us to meet, and it is a fact that we discussed the role of the secretary-general in this regard," he said.

"Recently, on this, there has been a bit of a positive signal from the DPRK, and we are at the moment coordinating when would be the best time to visit the DPRK, but so far nothing has been decided," he said. "Once the decision is made, I will inform the reporters, and proceed with the visit to the DPRK."

A planned visit by Ban to the DPRK in May was abruptly cancelled.

On Nov. 18, the United Nations denied a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) from Pyongyang that Ban will start a four-day visit in Pyongyang on Nov. 23 and will arrive at Sunan International Airport while his itinerary is yet to be confirmed.

Earlier this month, South Korea's Yonhap news agency cited an unnamed official as saying that a visit had been scheduled. The media reports were later denied by the United Nations.

If the visit goes ahead, Ban would be the third UN chief to visit the DPRK, which is under UN sanctions over its nuclear programme.

The two Koreas remain technically at war as no peace treaty was signed after the 1950-1953 war. Enditem