US Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed optimism in Seoul Tuesday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) would return to the negotiating table of the nuclear issue after the US presidential election. 

In a 40-minute meeting with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Powell said the DPRK will stand to gain much if it attends the six-party talks involving China, the DPRK, the United States, the ROK, Russia and Japan, according to the Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Hong-jae.

The US presidential election is to start on Nov. 2 this year.

According to the spokesman, Powell said the ROK's past nuclear experiments are insignificant, which cannot be compared with the weapons programs that have been pursued by the DPRK and Iran.

The ROK government acknowledged in early September that two groups of scientists conducted secret nuclear material experiments in 1982 and 2000 respectively without reporting to the nation's nuclear authorities.

Powell, making a 19-hour stopover in Seoul on the last leg of his three-nation Asian tour that has also taken him to Tokyo and Beijing.

Powell is to leave here for Washington Tuesday afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2004)