Lee to meet U.S. defense chief to discuss warship sinking

By Lee Chi-dong
SINGAPORE, June 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was to meet
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates later Saturday to talk about how to deal
with North Korea, which was found to be responsible for the March sinking of one
of the South's warships, Lee's aides said.
Lee arrived in Singapore Friday to deliver a keynote speech at the Shangri-La
Dialogue, an annual security forum of defense ministers and other top military
officials from more than two dozen countries. Gates is attending it.
"President Lee and Secretary Gates will hold a closed-door meeting. The Cheonan
incident will be mainly discussed," an official at the presidential office said,
requesting anonymity. "President Lee will highly assess the U.S. support for
South Korea's handling of the Cheonan incident and ask for a more solid combined
defense posture between South Korea and the U.S."
South Korea and the U.S., whose alliance dates back to the 1950-53 Korean War,
have demonstrated their firm unity in coping with the aftermath of the sinking
of the Cheonan, a 1,200-ton corvette. It was torpedoed by a North Korean
submarine on March 26 and sank, killing 46 sailors, according to a multinational
probe.
The U.S. promised full support for South Korea's bid to punish the North through
the U.N. Security Council. Seoul formally requested on Friday that the council
take up the case.
The official refused to elaborate on whether Lee and Gates will touch on the
sensitive issue of the timing of South Korea regaining wartime operational
control (OPCON) of its troops. Conservatives in South Korea have called for a
delay in OPCON transfer, slated for 2012, saying the sinking proves the
transition would be premature.
While meeting his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young here Friday, Gates
agreed on stern measures against the North, but it was not confirmed whether they
discussed the OPCON issue.
The South Korean president, meanwhile, is scheduled to hold a breakfast meeting
with Singaporean business leaders on Saturday, followed by a summit with Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong on ways to foster bilateral partnership.
Lee may ask Singapore to positively consider purchasing South Korea's T-50 Golden
Eagle supersonic trainer jets, according to his aides.
South Korea is reportedly in a two-way competition with Italy for Singapore's
project to procure advanced trainer jets. The winner is expected to be decided in
a few months, sources said.
On the occasion of Lee's trip here, the two sides also plan to sign two
memorandums of understanding on expanding joint assistance to developing
countries and boosting ties on the safety of pharmaceutical products, cosmetics
and medical devices.
He is to return to Seoul on Saturday night.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)

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