SEOUL — U.S. President George W. Bush will visit Korea and Japan in October before making his first trip to Shanghai, China, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the White House announced on March 16.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan made the announcement, adding that dates and other details will be announced as they become available.

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji announced the Bush visit in Beijing on March 15, saying it would provide "an excellent opportunity for the two countries to communicate with each other."

The announcement of Bush’s trip is sending Seoul observers scrambling to find out whether it has anything to do with the "partial" success of the March 7 Bush-Kim Dae-jung summit.

According to government officials, the White House announcement that President Bush will visit Seoul and Tokyo before attending the APEC forum in Shanghai in October is just a confirmation of what had been anticipated.

But the officials admitted that the announcement came earlier than had been expected by Washington’s standard, which triggered speculation that it is related to one of Bush’s biggest foreign policy challenges in the region — North Korea, and its missile and nuclear programs.