Seoul informed of bin Laden's death in advance: official

SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. government informed South Korea of the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden before President Barack Obama made an official announcement that the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack was killed in a U.S.-led operation in Pakistan, an official said.
"We were informed by the U.S. ahead of the official announcement," presidential spokeswoman Kim Hee-jung said. "We are discussing necessary measures with related ministries."
Obama made the late-night announcement Sunday, saying, "On nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaida's terror: Justice has been done."
A small team of Americans killed bin Laden early Sunday in the town of Abbottabad, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Pakistan's capital of Islamabad. The team took custody of bin Laden's remains, and American officials said they were being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition, according to news reports.
jschang@yna.co.kr