President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama are expected to adopt a joint statement on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.
The two leaders are set to adopt the statement during their summit Friday, the South Korean presidential office said, adding that the two sides were working out the details.
The statement is expected to mention how to respond to North Korea’s provocations and how to resume the long-stalled talks on ending Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
The move underscored the commitment by Seoul and Washington in making progress in curbing North Korea’s nuclear program.
There is also lingering speculation that Pyongyang may launch a long-range rocket in the coming months to put what it claims is a satellite into orbit.
Seoul and Washington view a satellite launch as a cover for testing the North’s ballistic missile technology, which is banned under U.N. resolutions.
South Korea and the United States have been involved in the long-stalled talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The talks, which also involve North Korea, China, Russia and Japan, were last held in 2008.
There is no sign that the talks will be resumed anytime soon.
On Thursday, Park proposed that South Korea and the U.S. make efforts to create favorable conditions for a peaceful unification on the Korean Peninsula, calling unification “the fundamental solution” to resolve the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear program and other issues.
The 1950-53 Korean War ended with a cease-fire agreement, not a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.
Park made the comment in a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at his official residence.
She also called for joint efforts to make sure China can play a constructive role in inducing North Korea to rejoin the nuclear talks.
China is believed to have significant leverage over North Korea, which has long been dependent on Chinese diplomatic support and economic aid. (Yonhap)
