U.S. representatives meet with S. Korean president, foreign minister

SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- A group of U.S. lawmakers met on Thursday with South
Korea's defense and foreign ministers for talks on bilateral issues, including
the ratification of a free trade agreement (FTA) signed between the two countries
nearly two years ago and a dispute over North Korea's nuclear program, a foreign
ministry official said.

The group consists of Ike Skelton, chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services
Committee, and some 10 other members of the committee.
"Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan expressed his gratitude for the efforts by U.S.
Congress to develop South Korea-U.S. relations and asked for further U.S. support
for many issues of mutual concern for the countries, such as the ratification of
the FTA and development of the Korea-U.S. alliance," Moon Tae-young, a spokesman
for the foreign ministry told reporters about a lunch meeting between Yu and the
American representatives at Yu's official residence.
The U.S. delegates, according to the spokesman, "stressed the importance of
cooperation between South Korea and the United States to end the North Korean
nuclear issue and called for progress in bilateral issues such as the FTA."
The luncheon was also attended by Kathleen Stephens, the U.S. ambassador to
Korea, and Gen. Walter Sharp, the chief of some 28,500 U.S. troops stationed here
who also heads the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the United Nations
Command here.
Skelton and the other representatives later paid a courtesy call on South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak, who personally thanked the U.S. delegates for visiting
the country in a brief meeting.
"We have very special guests here today. I am very excited to see members of the
U.S. House Armed Services Committee from both (Democratic and Republican) parties
come visit us especially when the South-North relationship is undergoing
tension," Lee said.
The U.S. delegation's visit came as North Korea appears to be preparing for a
long-range missile test, a move that been strongly criticized and denounced by
both Seoul and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also due here later Thursday for
discussions on the communist North and other bilateral issues with her South
Korean counterpart.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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