S. Korea, U.S. set for high-level talks on N. Korea

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan will visit
Washington late next week for talks with his U.S. counterpart Hillary Clinton to
discuss ways to deal with North Korea's military threats, Yu's aides said Friday.

Yu and Clinton also plan to fine-tune agenda for the summit between President Lee
Myung-bak and President Barack Obama to be held on June 16 in the U.S. capital,
they added. The Lee-Obama summit, the second of its kind, is likely to focus on
bolstering the two nations' alliance against the North's provocative steps.
"Minister Yu will head to Washington shortly after the South Korea-ASEAN
Commemorative Summit (on June 1-2)," a foreign ministry official said, asking not
to be named before a formal announcement of the schedule. "Yu will return to
South Korea a few days later."
The minister will be accompanied by Seoul's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac, he
added. Wi is scheduled to meet with Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. representative for
North Korea policy, and his assistant Sung Kim.
North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test, believed to be more powerful
than the previous one in 2006, and warned of military conflict with South Korea
in anger over Seoul's decision to join the U.S.-led counterproliferation drive,
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
The U.N. Security Council is debating the level of punishment against the North's
nuclear test. The U.S. and Japan drafted a resolution calling for far-reaching
sanctions.
U.N. diplomats said the 15-member council is expected to reach a compromise early
next week.
"Minister Yu and Secretary Clinton will discuss the next step if the resolution is
produced," the official said.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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