Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara is to visit Seoul discuss bilateral relations and strategy toward North Korea, the government said Friday, according to dpa. Maehara, who will visit South Korea Saturday for the first time as foreign minister, is to meet with President Lee Myung Bak and his counterpart Kim Sung Hwan to discuss how the two countries will reinforce their relationship and also deal with Pyongyang. Tokyo wanted to strengthen military ties with Seoul after North Korea's fatal artillery shelling of South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island in November. The discussion is also to include talks on a possible bilateral trade agreement, Kyodo News said, citing unnamed government officials. Maehara is also to talk to South Korean lawmakers and business representatives during his one-day trip. He was also due to speak to academic experts at an event hosted by the Sejong Institute, a private think tank, Kyodo said. Prime Minister Naoto Kan's reshuffle of his cabinet Friday cut his trip short from the originally scheduled two-day visit. Maehara's trip to South Korea follows Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa's visit earlier this week. Kitazawa agreed Monday with Defence Minister Kim Kwan Jin to start negotiations toward signing pacts to beef up ties between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the South Korean military.
