Indonesia's Yudhoyono postpones Korea visits

Jakarta, May 29: Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has postponed planned visits to North and South Korea following the weekend earthquake on Java island, his spokesman said today.

Yudhoyono had planned to be in North Korea between June 5 and 7 and to travel on to South Korea for a June 7-9 visit.

A 6.3 magnitude quake hit the ancient Javanese capital of Yogyakarta and surrounding areas early on Saturday, killing more than 5,000.

''The president wants to concentrate on domestic affairs to monitor the rescue and emergency period. Therefore (he) postponed a visit to Korea,'' spokesman Andi Mallarangeng Mallarangeng said.

''Both the North Korea and South Korea governments understand about the situation in Indonesia,'' he added.

Mallarangeng said Yudhoyono still wanted to visit the two Koreas but no new date had been set.

Indonesia had relatively close ties with North Korea during the 1950s and 1960s under then-President Sukarno, and even when Jakarta took a pro-Western course under his successor, Suharto, the two countries maintained ties.

The administration of Megawati Sukarnoputri, Sukarno's daughter, made a special effort to cultivate North Korea and serve as a mediator.

REUTERS

Related Stories