Talks of inter-Korean summit spread amid S. Korean officials

SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Talks of a possible summit between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are spreading among high-ranking officials here following President Lee Myung-bak's remark hinting at a possibility of a summit, local media reported Monday.

"It seems like a summit between the two Koreas can be held this year. Discussions on this issue are underway through many communications channels, but it's hard to predict when and how the deal will be made," the Yonhap News Agency quoted an unnamed top- ranking government official as saying.

Seoul's government officials predict that a summit, if held, would take place in March or April considering apparent peace overtures from the DPRK, or after local elections in early June in order to avoid potential charges that a summit is politically motivated, according to Yonhap.

The upbeat mood among officials is in line with the president's remark in a recent interview with the British public broadcaster BBC that he might be able to meet with the DPRK's leader Kim Jong- il this year.

But the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae downplayed Lee's remark, stressing it was just a reiteration of the basic principle on the inter-Korean summit and that the government would not seek a summit just for summit's sake.

Lee Dong-kwan, senior presidential secretary for public relations, told reporters on Sunday that "as of now, there has been no any specific discussion on holding an inter-Korean summit. "

"The true intention of the president is that he wishes a paradigm shift in existing inter-Korean relations," he said.

Cheong Wa Dae made a similar statement on Friday that President Lee Myung-bak's remark is only a reiteration of his principle.

"We would not seek a summit just for summit's sake," the presidential office said.

South Korea has said earlier after the president vowed to better inter-Korean ties that the government is not looking for a one-time event and that only denuclearization of the DPRK would lay the basis of normalization of their ties.

Seoul and Pyongyang held two major summits in the last decade, with the first in 2000 and the second in 2007, when the inter- Korean ties warmed under Seoul's liberal-leaning presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. Enditem