Lee and Hu discuss denuclearization of N. Korea

(ATTN: CHANGES slug; RECASTS headline, lead paras to highlight outcome of
Korea-China summit; ADDS minor edits)
By Byun Duk-kun
NEW YORK, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his
Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Wednesday sought ways to bring North Korea back
to denuclearization talks and means to address Pyongyang's nuclear issue, Seoul
officials said.
The bilateral summit, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly here,
follows Lee's proposal for a package deal on dismantling the North's nuclear
weapons programs.
"President Lee noted China's recent efforts to encourage North Korea's return to
dialogue through visits by its ranking officials to the North, as the two heads
of state agreed to continue working together for a fundamental solution to the
North Korean nuclear issue," Lee's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said in a
press release.
North Korea had been part of six-nation talks that also involve South Korea, the
United States, Japan, China and Russia, but in April declared its withdrawal from
the Beijing-based negotiations.
Lee on Monday had proposed a "grand bargain" with North Korea, a deal that seeks
the North's complete denuclearization in a single step in exchange for a full
range of incentives.
Pyongyang agreed in 2005 to give up its nuclear development but has repeatedly
reversed the denuclearization process when negotiations with the international
community became deadlocked over rewards.
Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Lee called it
a "salami tactic" played by the North, giving up only thin slices of concession
for large incentives while keeping most of its weapons program intact.
"We must not repeat the mistake we have committed for the past 20 years, allowing
the North Korean nuclear issue to return to its starting point by agreeing to
reward North Korea for agreements that can easily be reversed," he said.
Lee was expected to seek Japanese support for his latest proposal in a bilateral
summit with Japan's new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama here later Wednesday.
Lee, Hu and Hatoyama are set to hold a three-way summit in China next month.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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