Britain's top diplomat to visit S. Korea this week

SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- Britain's top diplomat will visit South Korea this week as part of his Asia tour to discuss bilateral cooperation, his office said Sunday.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin in Seoul on Wednesday and discuss cooperation in global security and economic affairs, according to the office.

He also plans to meet with other high-ranking government officials and visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, it added.

The Seoul visit comes after the two countries adopted "A Bilateral Framework for Closer Cooperation" in June.

It is part of his Asia tour that will include his visits to Singapore and Japan where he will attend the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set for Tuesday, the office said.

It will be his first Asia tour since taking office early this month.
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