Lee urges world to punish N. Korea

By Na Jeong-ju

Staff reporter

President Lee Myung-bak urged the international community Friday to respond resolutely to the acts of provocation by North Korea, saying Seoul will work closely with regional partners to make it give up its nuclear ambitions and commit itself to regional peace and stability.

"We must work together to help North Korea take the right path as it poses a big threat to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia," Lee said in a keynote address at the Asian Security Summit (ASS), also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore.

"The North's leadership must abandon its nuclear ambitions and seek sincere dialogue with the South if it wants to break its diplomatic isolation and revitalize inter-Korean talks."

Lee also vowed to deal firmly with the North's torpedo attack on the South Korean Navy vessel Cheonan in March based on its strong alliance with the United States and other countries.

Lee arrived in Singapore earlier on Friday for a two-day visit.

After delivering the address, he met with Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. The President will hold a summit with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Saturday on ways to promote bilateral partnership.

Lee's participation in the security talks is part of his efforts to seek international collaboration to punish North Korea for the ship sinking that killed 46 sailors.

The ASS is an annual gathering of defense ministers and top military officials from the U.S., South Korea, and two dozen other countries.

Lee's speech focused on the country's efforts to play a bigger role in the international community and its strategy for lasting peace on the peninsula.

"As the host of the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, Seoul will help expedite global anti-proliferation efforts and fight terrorism," he said.

Lee also called for more global attention on North Korea's nuclear threats, saying he will seek closer cooperation with the international community for a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

He said Seoul is more concerned about nuclear weapons threats than any other nation as it is directly exposed to Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities.