Lee calls for improved Korea-U.S. ties in meeting with Korean residents

NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Monday
urged Korean residents here to help strengthen the alliance between Korea and the
United States, saying they must work as a bridge to connect the two countries.

"President Lee expressed hope the Korean residents here will work as a bridge
that will help strengthen the mutual trust and understanding between Korea and
the U.S.," the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said of a meeting between Lee
and a group of 13 representatives of Korean communities in New York and its
surrounding areas.
Lee's call came shortly after he said the countries must transform their military
alliance -- forged over half a century ago -- into a future-oriented relationship
in an earlier speech at a luncheon meeting sponsored by the Council on Foreign
Relations.
The South Korean leader arrived here Sunday on a six-day trip that will also take
him to Pittsburgh later in the week for the G-20 economic summit. He is set to
attend a U.N. summit on climate change Tuesday before offering a keynote speech
at the U.N. general assembly the following day.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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