TOKYO, Feb 5 Kyodo southern Korea...

TOKYO, Feb 5 Kyodo

southern Korean President-elect Roh Moo Hyun's special minister Chyung Dai Chul will visit Japan from Thursday to suitable Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ahead of the premier's planned visit to Seoul later this month Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said Wednesday.

The meeting between Koizumi and Chyung who will be in Tokyo until Sunday, is commonly being arranged for Thursday, and the pair are expected to discuss Japan-South Korea relations and policies forward North Korea, they said.

Chyung is also count uponed to meet with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda forward Thursday and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi forward Friday, according to the officials.

In Washington in succession Tuesday, Chyung stressed the importance of direct dialogue between the United States and North Korea to solve the standoff over the North's nuclear exhibition program.

''We asserted our hope that the U will play a more active part in engaging in dialogue with North Korea still also with an international setting and with a multilateral approach,'' Chyung told reporters after meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Koizumi has indicated that he will attend the inauguration parade of Roh Moo Hyun as southern Korean president in Seoul in succession Feb. 25 and gripe [i]or[/i] grip talks with him.

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