S. Korea mulls timing of first summit with Obama

(ATTN: CORRECTS 'predecessor' to 'successor' in 9th para)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government has begun considering the
timing and format of a future summit between President Lee Myung-bak and his new
American counterpart Barack Obama, officials said Thursday.

The G-20 summit in London in early April could provide the stage for such a
meeting, a senior foreign ministry official said. "If held, it could involve
formal talks or just a casual encounter... We have to consult with the U.S. side
after the State Department names working-level officials on Korean affairs," he
said.
South Korea and the U.S. are also likely to hold a ministerial-level strategic
dialogue in the latter half of this year, he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may visit Northeast Asia in February or
March, providing an opportunity to meet South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu
Myung-hwan, he said.
South Korean officials say they want to arrange the summit as early as possible
to showcase the robust alliance between the two countries. But they also are
determined not to make it a simple photo op.
"The contents and results of the first summit are more important than the meeting
itself," the official said on condition of anonymity. "(South Korean)
presidential aides share the same view these days. We don't want a summit just to
take a picture."
As the chemistry between the conservative South Korean leader and the Democratic
U.S. president has yet to be tested, the official said, Lee's first summit with
Obama should provide an opportunity to show North Korea and the world that the
two presidents can forge a working relationship with each other.
There are bitter memories in Seoul from the first meeting in 2001 between George
W. Bush and then South Korean president Kim Dae-jung. During the post-summit
press conference in Washington, Bush dismissively referred to Kim as "this man,"
sparking public furor here. Many sensed Bush's dissatisfaction with Kim's
so-called "sunshine policy" of engaging Pyongyang.
A similarly awkward situation occurred in 2007 when Bush met with Kim's
left-leaning successor Roh Moo-hyun in Sydney on the sideline of Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum.
Roh grilled Bush about his stance on formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War. "Mr.
President. If you could be a little bit clearer in your message," Roh repeatedly
asked about U.S. willingness to sign a peace treaty with North Korea.
"I can't make it any more clear, Mr. President," Bush responded tersely.
"We don't want a recurrence of such incidents, although such a possibility is low
between Presidents Lee and Obama," the official said.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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