Lee says his country will act sternly until N. Korea denuclearizes

By Byun Duk-kun
STOCKHOLM, July 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said on
Monday his government will deal sternly with North Korea's provocative actions
until the communist nation decides to give up its nuclear ambition and begin
working with the international community.

The president also vowed to strictly implement U.N. sanctions meant to punish the
communist nation for its May 25 nuclear detonation test.
"The most important objective for us right now is to make North Korea give up
nuclear weapons," Lee said in a meeting with South Korean reporters here
accompanying him on his three-nation European tour this week.
Lee said the reason for Seoul's tough stance on Pyongyang was because South Korea
cannot try to defend the North while the rest of the world is working to punish
it for its latest nuclear test and various other military provocations.
The North test launched a barrage of missiles since the U.N. Security Council
adopted a resolution against its atomic test, placing various sanctions on it.
In a recent interview with a Europe-based television network, EuroNews, the South
Korean president said there were suspicions that North may have diverted Seoul's
economic assistance in the past to build its nuclear programs.
"What I meant was that we tried to help North Korea, but that North Korea came
back with nuclear weapons at the end of it all," the president said Monday.
Lee said he wanted to call for international support for North Korea's chronic
food shortages when the world leaders gathered in Italy's central city of
L'Aquila for the G-8 summit, but was unable to do so.
"I could not say anything because I was afraid other countries might say. 'why
would a country that makes nuclear weapons and missiles have a food shortage
problem,'" he told reporters.
Lee, however, said his country, as well as the international community, must
always be ready to talk with the North as long as the communist nation is
willing, adding the purpose of U.N. sanctions and any other steps taken against
the North are to bring Pyongyang back to the dialogue table.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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