WORLD

SEQOUL, South Korea- Foreign Minister Han Sung- joo will visit Washington next week to discuss North Korea's withdrawl from an international nuclear control pact, officials said yesterday.

Pyongyang's surprise withdrawl from the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty on Friday reinforced suspicious that the Communist North is developing atomic weapons, a charge it denies. The pullout also has raised fears that nuclear disputes will destroy steps toward approchement between the Koreas.

Han will meet with State Secretary Wrren Christopher to plan joint diplomatic measures to defuse tensions over the North's nuclear program, ministry officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He also plans to visit Canada and Japan on his way home to discuss nuclear concerns, they said.

Meanwhile, the rival Koreas agreed to meet tomorrow to discuss South Korea's proposal to return a North Korean war correspondent captured in the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea offered to repatriate Li In Mo in a peace gesture made the day before North Korea withdrew from the nuclear control pact. Seoul's willingness to go ahead with the meeting suggested it was anxious to maintain a dialogue with the North despite the pullout.