ROK, U.S. defense chiefs to meet in June

A meeting of South Korean and U.S. defense ministers could take place in Washington as early as June. U.S. secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld on Friday sent his congratulations by telephone to defense minister Kim Dong-Shin on his appointment, requesting Kim to visit the United States as soon as possible, a defense ministry source here said.

Officials said the two defense leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to a strong Korean-American alliance and their combined military preparedness. Also they promised to have telephone conversations whenever necessary to discuss mutual defense concerns. The annual meeting of the defense ministers of the two countries is scheduled for November in Washington, but bilateral talks prior to the regular security consultative meeting (SCM) are being planned to strengthen their partnership and to exchange frank opinions about a new approach to North Korea, they said.

Lee Chol-Hi klimt@donga.com