VIENTIANE--China and South Korea remained cautious toward Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council during a trilateral summit in the Laotian capital Monday, officials said.

Besides discussing three-way trade and investment, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun that Japan is willing to obtain a permanent seat on the council. Koizumi made that stance clear in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in September.

In response, both Wen and Roh agreed on the need to reform the world body, but they stopped short of directly discussing Japan's bid for permanent membership, according to Japanese officials.

The officials quoted Roh as saying that Seoul is studying the issue from various angles in view of its own position.

South Korean officials quoted Roh as saying: ``In reforming the United Nations, there are two challenges: one is in what direction the Security Council will change and the other is how to reconcile historic and realistic issues in Northeast Asia.

``The two challenges must each be given consideration,'' Roh told the meeting, according to the officials.

They also quoted Wen as saying he recognizes the issue as ``one that each nation must democratically discuss, with patience, while paying attention to the interests of developing nations.''

The three leaders held the three-way meeting as part of the ASEAN-plus-three summit here.(IHT/Asahi: December 1,2004)