U.S. delegation briefed on N. Korean nuclear, missile threats

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS background; RESTRUCTURES; TRIMS)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 3 (Yonhap) -- A high-level U.S. delegation visiting Seoul was briefed
Wednesday by the commanders of the South Korea-U.S. combined forces on the
nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.
The delegation, led by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, arrived in
South Korea after visiting Japan, where it discussed ways to curb North Korea,
which conducted its second nuclear test on May 25.
The communist country also appears to be preparing to test-fire a long-range
ballistic missile off its west coast and a medium-range one from the east,
according to South Korean and U.S. officials.
"We have a common view of the dangers posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear
developments, and a common commitment to try to find the path forward to reverse
this," Steinberg told South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and Gen. Walter
Sharp of the U.S. Forces Korea.
The U.S. delegation included Stephen Bosworth, special representative on North
Korea policy, and Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey, a specialist in dealing
with funds linked to terrorism.
"The opportunity to hear from your officials and from ours and to exchange views
on this question is extremely important to make sure that there's no doubt in the
minds of the leaders of North Korea that we're determined" to defend against its
provocation, he said.
The delegates watched a 15-minute top-secret presentation titled "North Korean
threat evaluation and readiness posture," according to South Korean officials who
attended the meeting.
The delegates, also including Wallace Gregson, assistant secretary of defense for
Asian Pacific affairs, and Jeffrey Bader, senior director for Asian Affairs at
the National Security Council, held a 30-minute discussion after the
presentation, officials here said.
South Korean Gen. Kim Tae-young, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also
present while Joseph DeTrani, mission manager for North Korea for the Office of
the Director of National Intelligence, and Vice Admiral James Winnefeld of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff sat on the U.S. side.
Steinberg met with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan earlier Wednesday.
His delegation will fly to China later this week to coordinate ways to pressure
North Korea to end its nuclear and missile development.
The U.S. has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against North
Korea.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)