Lee says will meet N. Korean leader anywhere to resolve nuclear issue

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday
that he is ready to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il "anytime
and anywhere" if it will help resolve problems facing the divided Koreas, such as
the North's nuclear ambition and the issue of South Korean citizens abducted by
the communist nation.

"I have no political reason to hold a summit (with Kim), but I can meet him at
any time if it will help convince North Korea to give up its nuclear programs and
resolve humanitarian issues, such as South Korean prisoners of war and those who
were abducted," the president said in a live television program that began late
Friday.
"I won't insist on holding a summit in (South) Korea. It doesn't matter even if
the summit venue is outside (South) Korea," he said. Two previous inter-Korean
summit meetings in 2000 and 2007 were both held in North Korea.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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