Lee calls on UNSC to quickly take stern action on N. Korean rocket

PATTAYA, Thailand, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called on the U.N. Security Council Saturday to swiftly respond to North Korea's recent rocket launch, saying it was a serious threat to world peace.

"I hope the U.N. Security Council will reach an agreement on its response to the
North Korean rocket launch within the next two or three days," the South Korean
president said in an interview with Thailand's English newspaper, the Nation.
North Korea launched the rocket Sunday for what it claims is a space program that
put an experimental communications satellite into orbit, but Seoul and its
allies, including the United States, believe it was a disguise for a ballistic
missile test.
"North Korea's rocket launch came amid its ongoing ambition to develop nuclear
weapons, adding to disturbing concerns around the world. From the perspective of
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the North's launch is raising
more fears across the globe," he said.
"It is the official stance of the Korean government that the international
community must take a stern, unified response to North Korea's wrongful act," he
added.
A special council meeting was called just hours after the launch that defied
international warnings, but the 15-member body has been unable to reach consensus
on how to deal the North, mainly due to what diplomatic sources have called the
"reluctance" of China and Russia, both close allies of Pyongyang and
veto-wielding permanent members of the council.
The South Korean president was set to hold talks with Chinese Prime Minister Wen
Jiabao Sunday in a three-way meeting that will also include Japanese Prime
Minister Taro Aso. The three arrived here Friday for a summit with the 10-member
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), known as the ASEAN Plus Three
Summit.
The summit comes amid efforts by Seoul and other countries in the region to form
an alliance to overcome the global economic crisis, from which Lee said Asian
countries will emerge stronger and faster than any other region in the world.
"East Asian countries are closely intertwined by free trade agreements, and thus
there is less concern about the possibility of recurring protectionism in the
region. Under these circumstances, the countries in the region should be able to
expedite the economic recovery with relative ease if they make successful efforts
to actively expand fiscal spending and stabilize the financial market," he said.
The president also said the region, which already accounts for 23 percent of
world GDP, will emerge stronger "when the dust settles."
"If East Asian countries take the occasion to further upgrade the soundness of
their financial system, their stature on the global economic scene would be
greatly elevated," said Lee.
He expressed hope his country and ASEAN member nations will form what he called a
"complementary" relationship.
"I also hope the summit this time will serve as an opportunity to exchange
Korea's experiences with that of ASEAN and to promote mutually beneficial
progress," he said.
Seoul is currently working to significantly improve its relations with Asian
nations under a new diplomatic policy known as the New Asia Initiative.
"The world is now faced with numerous challenges ... The summits this time are
expected to work out concrete ways for countries in the region to work together
in dealing with these issues," said Lee.
The South Korean president will return to Seoul Sunday after attending a separate
regional forum, the East Asia Summit, also known as the ASEAN Plus Six Summit,
which includes India, Australia and New Zealand.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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