hankyoreh

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Friday telephoned Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to request Tokyo's active support of the latest inter-Korean summit agreements on peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, Roh's spokesman said.

"Roh and Fukuda talked over the phone for about 10 minutes around 5 p.m. Roh explained that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il shared the view that normalization of North Korea-Japan relations and changes in the international environment are necessary to peace on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean co-prosperity," said Cheon.

In response, the Japanese leader congratulated Roh on the successful conclusion of the inter-Korean summit talks, and expressed expectations that the joint declaration of the two Koreas will contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as in Northeast Asia.

Roh and Fukuda shared the view that the improvement of inter-Korean relations is critical to peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia, and agreed to closely cooperate in regional and Korean issues, said the spokesman.

In a related development, the Foreign Ministry said the government dispatched senior officials to the U.S., Japan, China, Russia and the EU to brief them on the outcomes of the inter-Korean summit.

Yun Byung-se, senior presidential secretary for foreign and security policy, left for the U.S. earlier on Friday and also plans to visit China next week, according to the ministry. While in the U.S., Yun will also visit the U.N.

Deputy Foreign Minister Shim Yoon-joe visited Japan earlier Friday and will then visit Russia and the EU next week, the ministry said.

Earlier in the day, Vice Foreign Minister Cho Jung-pyo also briefed ambassadors from the U.S. China, Russia and Japan on the outcomes of the summit.

SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap)