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Clinton Decides Not to Visit DPRK
US President Bill Clinton said Thursday that he has decided not to visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) by the end of his term on January 20.
"I believe new opportunities are opening for progress toward greater stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula. However, I have determined that there is not enough time while I am president to prepare the way for an agreement with DPRK that advances our national interest and provides the basis for a trip by me to Pyongyang," Clinton said in a statement.
"Let me emphasize that I believe this process of engagement with DPRK, in coordination with South Korea and Japan, holds great promise and that the United States should continue to build on the progress we have made," he added.
Clinton had repeatedly expressed interest to become the first US president to visit Pyongyang since Cho Myong Rok, first vice chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission, paid a historic visit to Washington in mid-October.
DPRK leader Kim Yong-IL extended an invitation to Clinton during Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's trip to Pyongyang in late October.
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