|
China's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it was unlikely that Chinese football fans would travel to the World Cup Finals in South Korea via an overland route through North Korea. Earlier Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said in a Beijing news conference the idea of letting Chinese tourists attend the finals via this route was under negotiations among government and tourism officials of "the three countries." The three countries, according to government sources in Seoul, refer to the two World Cup co-hosts, South Korea and Japan, and China, not North Korea as earlier reported by members of the media. A misunderstanding occurred during a translation difficulty with a question, which prompted the minister to make the remarks.
The scope of the negotiations mentioned covered consular affairs affecting World Cup fans traveling to and from South Korea, Japan and China.
Minister Tang had said at the press conference under such a proposal Chinese soccer fans would take a train from the northeastern border city Dandong and pass through North Korea's Shinuiju and Kaesung near the inter-Korean border. From there they would cross into South Korea by bus via the truce village of Panmunjom.
Chinese ministry officials said the feasibility of such as plan is questionable, according to sources in Seoul, because no talks have been undertaken between Beijing and Pyeongyang.
(Kim In-gu, ginko@chosun.com )
|
