The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is to hold three important bilateral meetings with world leaders during the Europe Asia Summit which begins in Seoul today.
Mr Ahern will meet the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, to discuss issues relating to Northern Ireland, and will hold separate meetings with the Chinese Premier, Mr Zhu Rongji, and President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea to consider growing economic ties.
For President Kim, the timing and location in the South Korean capital of the third Europe-Asia summit could hardly be more propitious. The biggest diplomatic event in South Korea's history will provide international sanction for President Kim's spectacularly successful, but far-from-complete, "sunshine policy", aimed at eventual union of the two Koreas.
EU leaders have signaled they will use the summit to move towards ending the diplomatic isolation of North Korea and thus help the unification process. Yesterday, the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, announced UK plans to open diplomatic ties with North Korea.
Mr Cook told reporters on a flight to Seoul that if more countries fostered links with North Korea, the chances of developing good relations between North and South Korea would improve.
Officials in the North Korean capital Pyongyang said last month they hoped to establish ties with a number of EU countries, including Ireland, and the South Korean President is expected personally to encourage Mr Ahern to react positively to the invitation.
The Government is likely to fall into line with the rest of the EU on the issue.
Mr Ahern, making the first visit by a Taoiseach to South Korea, arrived in Seoul last night for the summit, the third meeting of ASEM (Asia-Europe meeting), which brings together the leaders of 10 Asian countries and the 15 members of the EU.
"The Seoul summit will provide a forum for the discussion of the further development of relationships and co-operation between Asia and Europe across a range of political, economic, social and cultural issues," Mr Ahern said yesterday.
He said that in his meeting with President Kim he would congratulate him in person for his Nobel Peace Prize, and "draw attention to the potential for developing trade between Korea and Ireland in the areas of information technology, telecoms and e-commerce".
Mr Ahern said this was in line with Ireland's strategy which calls for closer ties with Asia and in particular China.
At his meeting with Mr Zhu tomorrow, the Taoiseach is expected to discuss further progress in Chinese-Irish bilateral relations.
Against a background of burgeoning trade between Ireland and South Korea, the Taoiseach is to announce a co-operation agreement between Trinity College Dublin and Changwon University in South Korea and host a lunch for 80 South Korean economic and political figures.
The Asian member countries of ASEM include China, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The region has emerged as an important trading partner for the EU in recent years.