S Korea welcomes North's recognition

By CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Seoul officials have welcomed the European Union decision to form diplomatic relations with North Korea.

In an official statement, it said: "The Seoul government hopes the European Union's decision to form diplomatic relations with North Korea will facilitate its opening to the outside world, and reconciliation between the two Koreas."

Seoul officials had been aware of the possibility of such a move, especially after the visit to North Korea by the high-level EU delegation earlier this month.

There had been South Korean media speculation that the move towards diplomatic ties could be announced during the trip.

Thirteen of the 15 member countries of the EU are moving to recognize the North. With the recent decision by the EU decision, the two remaining members, France and Ireland, could also move towards this path.

South Korea's foreign minister Han Seung-Soo says the EU could play a very positive and complimentary role on the Korean peninsula.

"They were not major player in this part of the world in the past, so they feel their role is supplementary," he says. "They are certainly not looking to replace anyone."

Han points out that during the EU delegation's visit to the North, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il could well have indicated it wanted EU to play a greater role on the Korean peninsula, not so much in the political sense, but in the economic sense.

Kim Jong-Il reportedly said he would be sending officials to the EU to observe their economy, and as the North is looking to improve its economic situation, that is a very positive sign, Han says.

"They need some economic model, and the EU model could be one of the models they emulate," he says.

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