S. Korea, Vietnam denounce N. Korean nuclear test as 'serious threat'

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Vietnamese
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged North Korea on Saturday to refrain from
further provocations, saying the North's latest nuclear test was a serious threat
and challenge to peace.

The joint call came at a meeting held at South Korea's presidential office,
Cheong Wa Dae. The Vietnamese prime minister is on an official visit to Seoul
ahead of a special summit between Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) to be held in the southern resort island of Jeju.
"President Lee and Prime Minister Dung agreed North Korea's recent nuclear test
was a serious challenge to the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and
a threat to the peace and stability of Northeast Asia and the world," Cheong Wa
Dae said in a press release.
It said the leaders also "called on North Korea to fully observe the U.N.
Security Council resolution and to immediately return to the six-party talks."
North Korea is prohibited from any nuclear or long-range missile activities under
a U.N. resolution adopted in 2006, shortly after its first nuclear test that
year.
Pyongyang said it successfully conducted its second nuclear test on Monday.
Saturday's call from Vietnam came as the U.N. Security Council is trying to put
together a list of fresh sanctions against North Korea, with whom Hanoi maintains
friendly relations. Pyongyang on Friday vowed to take "stronger self-defensive
countermeasures" against any punitive actions by the U.N.
The Lee-Dung meeting also focused on bilateral issues as the two discussed ways
to further develop the relationship between their countries.
President Lee expressed hope for increased participation of South Korean
businesses in Vietnam's development projects, while the Vietnamese prime minister
agreed to actively support bilateral cooperation.
Dung also expressed appreciation for Seoul's development assistance to his
country, according to the presidential office.
The Vietnamese prime minister and his South Korean counterpart, Han Seung-soo,
agreed Friday to upgrade their countries' bilateral ties to a "strategic and
cooperative partnership."
Lee and Dung will fly to Jeju island Sunday for the start of the special
Korea-ASEAN summit that will begin Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of their
dialogue partnership.
The summit will be attended by heads of state from all the other nine other
countries of the 10-member ASEAN -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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