South Korea to consider allowing Dalai Lama's visit next year

The Foreign Ministry, however, reconfirmed its earlier decision not to allow such a visit this year. The ministry's comment came a day after hundreds of Buddhists and supporters had staged a rally in downtown Seoul to protest the government's denial to grant an entry visa to the Dalai Lama.

"Considering the present circumstances, th government believes that it is undesirable to allow the visit of the Dalai Lama this year," said Lee Nam-soo, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

"We will consider it next year, if there is a request of approval for the Dalai Lama's visit," he said. Another Foreign Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Seoul needed time for Beijing to understand the difficulties it was facing because of increasing public pressure.

A Buddhist group had invited the Dalai Lama to visit South Korea in November but the Seoul government decided against it because of opposition from Beijing, which regards him as a political separatist.

The Dalai Lama Visit Preparation Committee, which has been campaigning for the visit, denounced the government decision. "It is nothing but a deception. We will continue to campaign for the visit," said Chung Woong-ki, head of the Buddhist group.

With an estimated 12 million followers, Buddhism is the largest religion in South Korea, which has a population of 47 million. China annexed Tibet by force in 1950. A Buddhist monk, the Dalai Lama went into exile in India after an anti-Chinese uprising in 1959.

(AP)