(LEAD) Seoul, Washington discuss alliance, N. Korea ahead of summit

(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from the South Korean president, additional background)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, June 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S.
counterpart Barack Obama will agree on steps that will take the alliance to the
next stage -- a comprehensive, strategic partnership, U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton noted Monday in a meeting with the visiting South Korean head of
state.

The steps will be outlined in a joint statement to be issued at the end of the
summit between Lee and Obama Tuesday.
"President Lee noted the statement, to be signed at the end of the summit, will
be evidence of strong will by the two countries to develop the South Korea-U.S.
alliance into a more comprehensive partnership," Lee Dong-kwan, a spokesman for
the South Korean presidential office, said of the Lee-Clinton meeting.
The South Korean president arrived here earlier Monday for a three-day official
visit.
The so-called "Joint Vision for an Alliance between the Republic of Korea and the
United States of America" aims to transform the military alliance into a
strategic partnership that will also enable close cooperation in all other
sectors of life, including social, economic and political, according to South
Korean officials accompanying their president.
Clinton reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the joint defense of South
Korea while expressing hope the expansion of cooperation between the countries
will further contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the world,
the spokesman said in a press release.
Lee and the U.S. secretary of state also called for continued international
efforts to denuclearize North Korea while agreeing to increase their cooperation
with China, Russia and Japan in a six-nation dialogue framework that also
includes the communist North.
"The firm support the United States has recently shown for South Korea's policy
on inter-Korean relations will be a significant start for resolving the North
Korean nuclear issue," the president told Clinton.
Lee had earlier noted Pyongyang could be encouraged to take additional
provocative actions following its recent nuclear test on May 25 if Washington
engaged the communist nation in direct or bilateral relations, a move he said
would be seen as rewarding the North.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, published Saturday, the South
Korean president said he will propose five-way talks involving South Korea, the
United States, Japan, China and Russia to discuss ways to force North Korea to
give up its nuclear weapons while meeting with Obama this week.
The six countries have held negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear
ambitions since 2003, but the talks have stalled since last year due to a dispute
over how to verify the North's denuclearization process and past activities.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)