The summit will take place on December 17-18 at the southern Japan resort of Ibusuki, Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said.

"This summit will help further solidify the cooperative ties between the two countries," Ban said at a news briefing, noting that South Korea and Japan will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year.

"The two leaders will also discuss how to cooperate to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue," he said.

President Roh Moo-Hyun and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held their last summit in the South Korean resort island of Jeju in July.

Ban indicated that South Korea would not be offering Koizumi support for Japan's bid to take a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council.

"Our position is that it would be more desirable for the United Nations Security Council to expand the membership of non-permanent members which would be elected through vote rather than increasing permanent seats," he said.

Should the veto-wielding permanent membership have to be expanded, candidates would have to secure "trust and support" from other countries concerned, he said.

"The basic requirements for countries seeking a permanent seat at the council should include their contribution to international peace and their international leadership," he said.

Many South Koreans remain embittered by memories of Japan's harsh colonial rule from 1910-45 and ties between the two North East Asian neighbors remain tense.

Seoul regularly expresses discontent at Koizumi's annual visits to a controversial shrine honoring Japanese war criminals and remarks made by Japanese political leaders seen as glorifying the country's imperialist past.

China has also indicated Japan should not be admitted as a permanent Security Council member because it has not properly apologized for atrocities committed during World War II.

Japan wants to increase the number of permanent members to 10 from its current five to include itself, Germany, India and Brazil.

Koizumi pitched Japan's membership bid at the UN General Assembly last month, saying it should be a reward for its contributions to global peace and security.

But he said last week that he was "fully aware that the road to becoming a permanent member on the UN Security Council may be a long and arduous one."

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