Obama: American commitment to peace and stability in South Korea "will never waver”; Obama and Lee urge North Korea to immediately return to nuclear negotiations;
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    • US President Obama during his recent trip to South Korea stated that some American troops stationed in the country would be deployed to Afghanistan.1 Obama also reiterated that American commitment to peace and stability in South Korea "will never waver."2 Mr. Obama and his South Korean counterpart President Lee Myung-bak urged North Korea to immediately return to nuclear negotiations and pledged to make joint efforts to ensure denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.3 Obama urged Pyongyang to choose prosperity and security instead of continued isolation if it continues on its route to nuclear armament.4

    President Lee also urged visiting Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon to actively support his country's efforts to denuclearize North Korea, including help in the effective implementation of UN sanctions against that country.5

    Seoul stated that it did not want further complications in its relations with Pyongyang following an armed skirmish between the two countries naval forces. The government however vowed to take full precautions against any possible negative security development.6

    North Korea meanwhile revealed that it had completed reprocessing spent fuel rods and achieved "noticeable successes" in weaponizing plutonium extracted from these fuel rods. Analysts believed that the development was an effort to force the US to quickly start bilateral negotiations.7

    South Korean lawmaker Park Sun-young reportedly obtained Japanese documents which reveal that Japan designated Dokdo - a set of islands currently controlled by South Korea in the East Sea that Tokyo claims as its own, as ‘foreign territory’ at the end of World War II. The document, Notification 654 of August 15, 1946, states that "Jukdo," the former name for the islets, is ‘foreign territory’.8

    During the recent visit of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to Seoul, both countries agreed to revise their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) to better reflect the changed economic conditions since the deal was signed five years ago.9

    In other developments, South Korea agreed to provide for free 10 decommissioned amphibious landing craft to Indonesia to consolidate naval ties with that nation.10

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