S. Korean president vows efforts to free worker detained in N. Korea

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called Friday for
continued efforts to win the release of a South Korean worker detained in North
Korea but also urged the nation to remain calm so as not to complicate government
efforts.

The South Korean worker, identified only by his surname Yoo, was detained in late
March on charges of defaming the North's political system. A South Korean fishing
boat carrying four crew members, meanwhile, was seized off the east coast last
week after it strayed into North Korean waters.
"The government is doing all it can to solve the issue of the worker, who has
been detained for 131 days as of today, and crewmembers of the Yeonanho,"
President Lee was quoted as saying in a meeting with his secretaries. Yeonanho is
the name of the seized ship.
"Also, the government fully understands the concerns over an issue that is
directly related to the lives and safety of our citizens, so I hope that people
will trust the government and let it do its work," Lee was quoted by his
spokesman Lee Dong-kwan as saying.
The president's remarks were in response to growing concerns here that the
government may not be using all available means to win the release of its
citizens, a criticism that was escalated after former U.S. President Bill Clinton
traveled to Pyongyang this week to secure the release of two American journalists
detained some 140 days ago.
The freeing of the U.S. journalists quickly became a source of anxiety here,
especially for the families of those held in the North.
"Saying the government is doing all it can means it has done so, is still doing
so and that it will continue to do so in the future," the president's spokesman
told reporters.
The president stressed that Seoul was fully consulted on Clinton's trip by
Washington.
"Any contact between North Korea and the United States in the future will be
conducted under such thorough coordination between the two countries (South Korea
and the U.S.)," Lee said, according to the spokesman.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)