S Korea not to seek inter-Korean summit just for summit's sake: gov't

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak 's remark that he is always ready and willing to meet with the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is only a reiteration of his principle, the presidential office said Friday.

Cheong Wa Dae's explanation comes after Lee, who is attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland, said in an interview with the British public broadcaster BBC that there is no reason not to meet with DPRK leader Kim Jong Il this year, if doing so would help solve the DPRK's nuclear issues and ensure peace on the Korean peninsula.

"Let us reiterate that it is the government's consistent principle and the president's philosophy that we would not seek a summit just for summit's sake," the presidential aide said in a briefing.

The government will not pursue a summit just for gaining political advantage or seeking drastic strategic changes, the aide added.

Cheong Wa Dae made a similar statement earlier this month after the president vowed to better inter-Korean ties, saying that the government is not looking for a one-time event and that only the 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.

But their ties rapidly soured after Lee Myung-bak came to office in February 2008, ending a decade of engagement policies.

Source: Xinhua