N. Korea to top next week`s summit agenda: White House

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, June 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will be the primary topic at the
summit meeting between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President
Barack Obama here next week, the White House said Friday.
"The primary topic will be that of North Korea," spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
"The real threat of North Korea, the most forward-leaning threat from North Korea
would be any effort to move weapons or weapons of mass destruction from -- or
material for weapons -- from North Korea somewhere else."
The 15-member U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution earlier in
the day calling for an overall arms embargo, cargo inspections and financial
sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear test on May 25, the second in three
years.
"I think today's important and united actions demonstrate the seriousness with
which the world takes their provocations, " Gibbs said.
The spokesman would not rule out the possibility of North Korea reacting angrily
to the fresh international sanctions.
"I would fully expect, as they have said leading up to the vote in the U.N., just
as they have said for many months, that they will continue taking provocative
and, in, I think, the eyes of many in the world, irrational actions," he said.
"And I don't doubt that they will continue on those steps."
Reports said that North Korea is gearing up for another nuclear test -- timed
with the U.N. Security Council's resolution -- to improve its nuclear weapons
technology in the face of allegations that Pyongyang cannot yet load nuclear
warheads on missiles.
Lee and Obama will also discuss the pending free trade agreement with South
Korea, Gibbs said.
"I assume they will continue the conversations that President Obama and President
Lee started at the G-20 on this subject," he said. "The president talked about,
at that meeting, some of the concerns he had with the agreement. But I assume
that conversation will continue."
Lee and Obama agreed in April to "chart a way forward," saying the deal "will
enhance prosperity for the peoples of the two countries."
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk last month expressed hope that progress on the
deal will be made during the summit. At issue are what Washington has called
lopsided auto trade and restricted shipments of U.S. beef.
South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon has said his government will not revise
the text of the deal itself, though some U.S. officials are hoping to address the
concerns via side agreements.
In announcing the summit Monday, Gibbs said, "The two leaders will confer on
North Korea and will consult on a range of bilateral and other issues."
The summit will be the second, following a bilateral meeting in London in April
on the sidelines of the G20 economic summit meeting.
"President Obama extended the invitation at their last meeting in London, on
April 2nd, during the G-20 summit," Gibbs said. "The Republic of Korea is a close
friend and a key ally of the United States, and the president looks forward to
exploring ways in which the two countries can strengthen cooperation on the
regional and global challenges of the 21st century."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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