President Park′s diplomacy to be tested at UN General Assembly 박 대통령, 유엔 총회 외교

President Park Geun-hye will be making her diplomatic debut at the United Nations next week,... addressing the General Assembly for the first time since taking office early last year. While that speech is expected to center around Seoul′s diplomatic efforts to restore peace and stability on the Korean peninsula,... President Park will also highlight Korea′s role in countering global issues, such as climate change and terrorism. For more, we′re now joined by our presidential office correspondent Choi You-sun . Let′s first talk about President Park′s first-ever UN General Assembly address. While officials haven′t yet finalized the speech, it′s widely expected that it will lay out the details of her vision for unification of the peninsula and seek international support for the plan. Back in March, the South Korean leader proposed that the two Koreas increase Seoul′s humanitarian support to Pyongyang and people-to-people exchanges as an initial step towards preparing for reunification. She has even launched a committee here in the South to get ready for the unprecedented process. President Park will also likely talk about rebuilding inter-Korean trust to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, and to bring peace and prosperity to Northeast Asia and Eurasia. It′s also possible she might say something about the North′s human rights abuses. And in a rarity,... North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong is attending this year′s UN General Assembly. What can we expect from him? Ri,... Pyongyang′s highest-ranking official to attend the Assembly in 15 years, is likely to focus on defending his country′s nuclear and missile development and human rights record. Although officials from the two Koreas have no plans to meet on the sidelines at the UN, President Park had said the door to engaging with the North in New York was open. But it′s the North′s human rights issue that will garner the most attention. For the first time, a ministerial-level meeting on the subject will be held on the sidelines of the Assembly, where top diplomats from South Korea and the U.S. will speak strongly about the gravity of the abuses taking place in the North. This comes after the UN Commission of Inquiry released a report on North Korean human rights earlier this year and as Pyongyang continues to hold three Americans accused of violating North Korean laws. North Korea contests the international community′s condemnations, and its foreign minister is expected to rebut the claims in his address to the Assembly. Japan is another of South Korea′s regional neighbors where ties are strained. A report emerged this week that Seoul and Tokyo had discussed a first summit between their leaders amid tensions over historical matters. But Korea′s presidential office denied the report by a local broadcaster, adding the possibility was never even considered. Citing an unnamed source, the report said the two sides discussed President Park visiting Japan on her return fro