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November 11, 2009
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| The nuclear impasse with North Korea, a free trade agreement with South Korea and Seoul’s contribution to rebuilding Afghanistan are key topics to be addressed during President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama’s summit next week, senior officials from the two countries’ presidential offices said yesterday. Obama will depart Thursday, Washington time, for his first trip to Asia, including visits to China, Japan and Singapore. He will arrive in Seoul on Nov. 18. According to the White House, the summit between the U.S. and South Korean presidents will take place on the morning of Nov. 19. “North Korea obviously will be a principal focus of this stop,” Jeffrey Bader, Obama’s National Security Council senior director for East Asian affairs, said yesterday. “We’ll be talking about how we re-engage in the six-party process with the agenda of denuclearization and reaffirmation of previous commitments.” Noting that Seoul and Washington have cooperated on issues in general, and in particular on the six-party process, Bader said, “We haven’t taken a step in the six-party process without closely coordinating and checking with the South Koreans before we’ve done anything.” Obama’s trip to Seoul is taking place as media reports have emerged that Washington will soon announce the sending of Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea, to Pyongyang to discuss the nuclear standstill. Bosworth is expected to attempt to bring the North back to the stalled six-party nuclear talks. The free trade deal between South Korea and the United States will be another key issue to be discussed, said Michael Froman, deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs. “[Obama] has noted in the past that there were some outstanding issues to address in it and that there were issues around timing as well. But he is prepared to have that conversation with the Koreans,” Froman said, without elaborating. The deal has been completed, and the last step for the trade agreement to take effect is ratification by the two countries’ legislatures. It remains unclear, however, how Obama will address the issue at the summit. Kim Eun-hye, Blue House spokeswoman, also said North Korea and the free trade agreement will be discussed. Lee’s proposal of a “grand bargain” through the six-nation talks to end the North’s nuclear programs will be discussed further, she said. Although the two presidents will address the press following the summit, no joint statement is expected, Kim said. The efforts to rebuild war-torn Afghanistan will also be addressed, White House officials said. By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr] |
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