SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is expected to make her first visit to South Korea next March to join a rare gathering for spouses of world leaders during a global summit on nuclear security, an official at Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

   The U.S. first lady is likely to accompany her husband, President Barack Obama, on his trip to the next Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, which leaders from some 50 countries are slated to attend, the Foreign Ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.

   "Many first ladies, including Michelle Obama, are expected to visit South Korea for next year's Nuclear Security Summit," the official said.

   "Since the event for world leaders' spouses is another venue for diplomacy, we will make major efforts to prepare," the official said.

   South Korea was chosen in April last year as the host for the next gathering of world leaders on securing nuclear security and combating atomic smuggling.

   If the U.S. first lady decides to visit South Korea next March, it would be her first trip to Seoul.

   President Obama visited South Korea in 2009, as part of his Asian tour, and last year, when Seoul hosted a Group of 20 summit. Michelle Obama did not join her husband for those trips because of her conflicting schedule.

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