 President Lee Myung-bak, left, welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday. Clinton said the world must respond to the sinking of a South Korean warship that has been blamed on North Korea. / Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog |
Top US diplomat urges international community to act on ship sinking
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her full support Wednesday for South Korea's punitive measures against North Korea, the culprit behind the deadly sinking of a South Korean Navy ship on March 26.
Clinton, who arrived in Seoul earlier in the day after wrapping up a two-day trip to China, said Washington will support the moves to slap tougher international economic and diplomatic sanctions on the North.
She made the remarks at a joint news conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan, after meeting with President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee and Clinton shared the view that "strategic patience" is needed in dealing with North Korea, according to Lee Dong-kwan, senior presidential secretary for public affairs.
"It is not important for North Korea to return to the six-way talks (on its nuclear program). What is important is to show a sincere attitude toward denuclearization," the President told Clinton. "We need to take time in coping with the situation."
Clinton's visit came amid growing tension on the Korean Peninsula after President Lee announced early this week that Seoul would cut trade ties with Pyongyang. He outlined firm military action, including the staging of a large-scale joint naval exercise with the U.S. Navy in waters near the sea border
The top American diplomat said the results of a five-nation investigation into the sinking were "overwhelming," "professional" and "inescapable."
"We will stand with you in this difficult hour and we will stand with you always," she said at a news conference with Yu.
Clinton urged Pyongyang to take steps toward denuclearization and choose the path of peace and prosperity.
The North "could enjoy integration, prosperity, peace and respect," she said. "Its people could find better lives."
Washington is considering additional options to hold North Korean leaders accountable for the ship sinking that killed 46 sailors.
"There is the immediate crisis caused by the sinking of the naval vessel which requires a strong but measured response, but there is also the longer-term challenge of changing the direction of North Korea," Clinton said.
She stressed the international community has an obligation to respond to the attack on the Cheonan and promised to put forward the matter in the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).
China and Russia, both veto-wielding permanent members of the UNSC, remain neutral over the findings of the Joint Military-Civil Investigation Group that included 24 foreign experts from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Canada.
China's role, in particular, would be decisive in taking action against North Korea at the UNSC because it is the North's primary source of economic and military aid.
Clinton said China "understands the seriousness" of this issue and is willing to listen to the concerns expressed both by South Korea and the United States.
Last week, the investigative group concluded that a North Korean midget submarine torpedoed the 1,200-ton Cheonan after sneaking through international waters into the West Sea.
Pyongyang denies the allegation.
클린턴, 한국정부 지지
힐러리 클린턴 미국 국무 장관은 수요일 지난 3월 26일 천안함 침몰의 배후인 북한을 제재하는데 전격 지지하겠다고 밝혔다.
이틀 간의 방중을 마치고 이 날 오전 서울에 온 클린턴 장관은 강력한 대북 경제 및 외교적인 제재를 가하는데 협조를 아끼지 않을 것이라고 말했다.
클린턴 장관의 방한은 주 초 이명박 대통령이 북한과의 교역중단을 발표한 후, 한반도에 긴장이 증폭되는 가운데 이루어졌다. 이 대통령은 담화문에서 접경 인근 해역에서의 대규모 한미 공동해상훈련 등 강경한 군사 조치를 취하겠다고 밝혔다.
한 미국 고위 외교관은 5개국 합동조사단이 실시한 천안함 조사결과가 “압도적”, “전문적”, “빠져나갈 구멍이 없는” 것이라고 말했다.
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