Seoul, Washington say Pyongyang will not gain through provocation

(ATTN: UPDATES with additional remarks, more details)
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak reiterated his
call Thursday for a strong, unified reaction to North Korea's recent nuclear test
while calling on the communist nation to halt any attempt to further escalate
tension in the region.

Lee's call came in a meeting with a U.S. delegation led by Deputy Secretary of
State James Steinberg, who said Pyongyang is mistaken if it believes it can get
anything from the United States through provocations, Seoul's presidential office
Cheong Wa Dae said.
"We will only be able to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue if the
international community sends a clear warning against North Korea's wrong
behavior by adopting a U.N. Security Council resolution and if all the related
countries try to convince the North with one voice," Lee was quoted as telling
the visiting U.S. officials.
Pyongyang claims to have conducted its second nuclear test on May 25. Seoul
strongly condemned the provocative act as a serious threat to peace, and
Washington is seeking a U.N. Security Council resolution that will place
additional sanctions on the communist North.
The visit by the high-profile U.S. delegation came in the wake of suspected
preparations by North Korea to launch a multiple number of medium- and long-range
ballistic missiles.
President Lee said his country and the United States must work with China and
Russia, Pyongyang's longtime allies, to dissuade North Korea from test launching
the missiles.
"The Korea-U.S. alliance only becomes stronger following North Korea's
provocative acts," Steinberg was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Lee
Dong-kwan.
The U.S. delegation includes Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey, who is in
charge of cracking down on terrorism-related funds, and Stephen Bosworth, special
representative on North Korea policy.
Steinberg welcomed Seoul's recent joining of a U.S.-led anti-proliferation
campaign, the Proliferation Security Initiative, calling it a "strong message" of
cooperation with international efforts to get rid of weapons of mass destruction.
The South Korean president said he hoped to exchange opinions and views candidly
on regional and international issues with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama when
he visits Washington on June 16 for a bilateral summit.
The deputy secretary of state said the U.S. was making sincere efforts to prepare
for Lee's scheduled state visit, noting Lee will be the first Asian leader to
hold talks and a luncheon with the U.S. president at the White House since the
latter took office earlier this year, according to the Cheong Wa Dae spokesman.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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