White House: Obama to Listen to Pres. Lee’s Views on NK

The White House in Washington said Thursday that North Korea will be a major topic at bilateral summits U.S. President Barack Obama will hold with South Korea, China, Japan and Russia on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Seoul next week.

The White House also said Obama will listen to President Lee Myung-bak’s opinions on handling North Korea, including the proposed resumption of the stalled six-party nuclear talks. Washington also urged Pyongyang to address Seoul’s concerns over the sinking of a South Korean naval ship in March and show a responsible attitude.

Mike Hammer, spokesman for the National Security Council, told a news briefing for foreign journalists that bilateral summits with Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Moscow will certainly discuss Pyongyang.

He also said it is “almost entirely” North Korea’s responsibility to make a breakthrough, pressing Pyongyang to take the necessary measures to resume the nuclear talks and prove it is serious about its ultimate goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

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