SEOUL -- Some journalists profess to know more than they ought to. While President Bill Clinton insists a decision regarding a possible visit to North Korea has not been taken, some media have already published details of the president's itinerary. According to one report, Clinton's two-day visit to Pyongyang will begin Nov. 12 -- just ahead of the APEC summit in Brunei. The source of this information is an "unidentified South Korean government official." Similar, unspecified information has been published in other media.
During one recent encounter with a senior diplomat of an important Western nation, I heard a rather convincing argument in support of the view that the presidential visit to Pyongyang is, for all practical purposes, a decided matter. Clinton is in the final stages of his term, argued the diplomat, and a visit to the former arch-enemy would undoubtedly add to his historic legacy. The North Korean dictator, too, would rather see Clinton come today than tomorrow, as he must worry that a possible Republican successor would be much less tolerant in dealing with his regime.
And last, the South Koreans: President Kim Dae Jung has made no secret that he wants the U.S. president to visit the North. One newspaper even wrote that Kim "urged" Clinton to travel to Pyongyang. Since all three major players favor the presidential visit, it is a foregone conclusion that it will materialize, the diplomat argued quite convincingly.