By Na Jeong-ju
Cheong Wa Dae denied Thursday a report by a Japanese magazine that President Lee Myung-bak proposed to the United States that the disputed airbase in Futenma on Okinawa be relocated to South Korea, saying it was “complete fiction.”
Citing anonymous sources, the monthly Bungeishunju reported in the September edition that Lee, during his talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in Toronto, Canada in June, expressed his intention to allow the U.S. to build an alternative airbase in South Korea if the U.S.-Japan alliance is troubled further due to their disputes over the Futenma base.
“The article is not worth commenting on,” Hong Sang-pyo, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement. “It’s just complete fiction.”
The reaction came after the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) demanded an explanation from Cheong Wa Dae earlier in the day about the report.
“If it is true, it is a grave concern to the Korean people,” DP floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won said. “President Lee should make it clear whether he did say so.”
Another presidential aide said Lee and Obama didn’t have one-on-one talks in Toronto and some 10 officials from both sides were also with them. They were visiting the city to participate in a G20 meeting.
“Lee and Obama didn’t have talks about such topics,” he told The Korea Times. “They exchanged views mainly on security issues concerning North Korea and on ways to strengthen bilateral ties.”