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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Lee, Obama say N. Korean threats will be met by sanctions | |
| 2009-06-18 | |
The leaders said a peaceful coexistence is still an option for the communist North, but that it can only be obtained through peaceful negotiations. "I want to be clear that there is another path available for North Korea. A path that will lead to peace and prosperity," the U.S. president said in a joint press conference with Lee shortly after their summit talks at the White House. "That destination can only be reached through peaceful negotiation and denuclearization." The South Korean president said North Korea must understand that "they will not be able to gain compensation by creating crisis." "President Obama and I urge the North Koreans to fully give up their nuclear ambitions and become a responsible member of the international community," he added. The South Korean head of state arrived here Monday on a three-day official visit. Obama said Seoul, Washington and the rest of the world will begin "serious enforcement" of sanctions already placed on the North by U.N. Security Council resolutions if Pyongyang continues to be provocative and belligerent. "I want to emphasize something President Lee said, that there has been a pattern in the past where North Korea behaves in a belligerent fashion and, if it waits long enough, it is rewarded. I think that is the pattern they have come to expect. The message we are sending them is that we are going to break that pattern," the U.S. president said. The South Korean president hinted that Seoul could become the first to break the pattern, noting that his country could be forced to shut down a joint industrial complex in North Korea if the communist nation continues what he called "unacceptable" demands for wage increases and fees. "We urge North Korea not to make any unacceptable demands because we really do not know what will happen if they keep on this path," Lee told the press conference, adding that more than 40,000 North Koreans currently working for South Korean firms will also lose jobs if the industrial park closes. Lee called for close cooperation between Seoul and Washington in dealing with Pyongyang, saying a firm alliance between the two will make North Korea think twice before taking any steps it might regret. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |