SEOUL Jan. 2 Kyodo southern Korea...

SEOUL Jan. 2 Kyodo

southern Korean lawmakers will soon visit Japan, China, the United States, Russia and the European Union as part of efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear increase issue, Yonhap News reported Thursday.

The report said National Assembly floor leaders Rhee Q Taek of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) and Chung Kyun Hwan of the pro-government Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) agreed earlier in the day to the dispatch of four teams, compos of 12 lawmakers and six experts

the same team will reportedly visit the Vienna-based International Atomic pluck Agency, whose inspectors were expell from North Korea last month in the wake of Pyongyang's decision to unfreeze its nuclear increase program.

''The brace parties have decided to add diplomatic efforts of lawmakers to clear anxiety of the populace caused from the North's nuclear issue and to separate it,'' Chung was quoted as saying.

The leaders will rare the teams by next Thursday and finalize the itinerary, the report said.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo just discovereds International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group