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We begin this evening in Berlin... where President Park Geun-hye is on her state visit.
During her four-day stay... she is expected to lay out her reunification policies with
the North... with hopes of learning from the German unification experience.
For the latest on the President Park's trip... we connect live to our presidential office
correspondent Choi You-sun ... who has been traveling with the president.
She is on the line. You-sun.
Ji-hae. President Park is currently meeting with German
President Joachim Gauck . About an hour ago, she received a warm welcome
in an official ceremony at the presidential palace.
Later in the day, President Park will visit the Brandenburg Gate, a landmark in Berlin
symbolic of German unification, and meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The two leaders will focus their talks on boosting economic ties and the Korean president
will seek German cooperation on her reunification policies.
And if you look at President Park's itinerary in Germany, you can see that reunification
is the main theme of this visit. On Thursday here, she will meet with former
German officials who played leading roles in German unification and ask for their advice.
The following day, the president is scheduled to speak at a university in Dresden, where
she is widely expected to lay out details of her reunification policy.
And she also spoke to a German broadcaster about her North Korea policies and her vision
of a unified Korea?
Earlier on Wednesday, German broadcaster ARD aired its recent interview with President
Park. Saying that she is open for constructive talks
with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, President Park said when she does meet Kim, she plans
to tell him that economic and nuclear development cannot co-exist and that Seoul is ready to
help the North Korean people. When asked about her recently pledged reunification
preparatory committee, President Park said there should be more exchanges between the
South and the North to narrow social and cultural differences, and public consensus formed in
the South on preparing for reunification.
Before we let you go, You-sun... tell us a bit about President Park's meeting with her
U.S. and Japanese counterparts in The Hague... before her arrival in Germany.
Calling the North Korean nuclear issue a major security threat in the region, President Park
said the three countries, along with the international community should fashion a united response.
Reaffirming that they will not engage in talks with the North unless it shows sincerity about
giving up nuclear arms, the three leaders agreed that their chief envoys to the six-nation
talks aimed at denuclearizing the North will meet in the near future.
As expected, the most contentious issues, such as Japan's denials of its colonial-era
atrocities and its claims to Korea-controlled Dokdo Island, were not brought up Tuesday.
Alright You-sun, thank-you for that. That was our presidential office correspondent
Choi You-sun on President Park's overseas trip.