S. Korea, US Agree to Push for Early Summit
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have Friday to closely cooperate to bolster the ROK-U.S. alliance, resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and overcome the financial crisis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Friday.
In a 10-minute phone conversation, the two ministers shared the view that it was desirable for the two nations to have a summit or other high-level consultations at an early date, the ministry said in a press release.
The two ministers agreed to consult on details through diplomatic channels, it said.
Yu, on a trip to Australia, delivered a congratulatory message to Clinton on her new post.
A former lawyer, first lady and senator of the state of New York, Clinton was nominated as secretary of state in December. She was confirmed Wednesday, the day after President Barack Obama's inauguration.
She visited South Korea in July 1993 during her husband Bill Clinton's presidency.
Her statements as the nominee for secretary of state hinted a difficult road ahead between Seoul and Washington.
Speaking to a labor organization in Detroit, home of the U.S. car industry in early Janaury, she said, ``While I value the strong relationship the United States enjoys with South Korea, I believe that this agreement is inherently unfair,'' referring to a free trade agreement awaiting the approval by legislatures of both countries.
Regarding North Korea, she testified before the senators that ``our goal is to end the North Korean nuclear program, both the plutonium reprocessing program and the highly enriched uranium program which there is reason to believe exists although never quite verified.
``There is certainly reason to believe that North Korea has been involved with Syrian efforts. We know that it was involved with Libyan efforts. So it's not only preventing the threat from North Korea, which is of particular interest to Hawaii, Alaska, and the West Coast of the United States, but it is their role as a proliferator.''
Obama's emphasis in engaging in direct diplomacy, especially with ``enemy'' states, holds up high hopes for a breakthrough with North Korea. During Bill Clinton's administration, then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
If the Obama team pursues a face-to-face dialogue with North Korea, it's likely that she would become the second secretary of state to sit down with Kim.