Obama heads home after Seoul visit

By Tony Chang
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama
headed home Thursday after a two-day trip to Seoul for a summit with his South
Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak on ways to strengthen their alliance and
denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Obama's departure from this U.S. air base marked the end of his first trip to
Asia as president, which also took him to Japan and China on state visits and to
Singapore for the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The U.S. president's visit to Seoul focused mainly on North Korea as he and Lee
sought ways to bring the communist nation back to multilateral talks on ending
its nuclear program.
"President Lee and I are in full agreement on a common approach going forward,"
Obama told a joint press conference after his summit with Lee, referring to the
two leaders' stance on North Korea.
During his visit, Obama announced that Stephen Bosworth, special U.S.
representative for North Korea policy, will travel to Pyongyang on Dec. 8 as part
of joint efforts to prod North Korea back to the negotiating table.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il earlier told China's visiting Premier Wen Jiabao
that his country may return to the six-nation talks depending on the outcome of
its anticipated dialogue with the U.S.
The North has boycotted the nuclear negotiations -- which also involve South
Korea, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia -- since late last year.
Obama also met with some 1,500 U.S. servicemembers at the U.S. air base in Osan,
55 kilometers south of Seoul, where he said his country's commitment to the peace
and stability of South Korea will never waver.
The U.S. maintains some 28,500 troops here as a deterrent against North Korea.
(END)