Seoul, November 19: South Korea’s President says he and President Barack Obama have agreed to offer North Korea a “grand bargain” aimed at ending the North’s nuclear program.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Obama, President Lee Myung-bak said the deal would be similar to his proposal for a package of political and economic incentives in exchange for the one-step, irreversible dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear program.
“I hope that by accepting our proposal, the North will secure safety for itself, improve the quality of life for its people, and open the path to a new future,” Lee said after talks with Obama.
Lee’s grand bargain proposal stems from concerns that North Korea would continue to backtrack on promises after winning concessions in negotiations.
The Lee and Obama meeting comes as Washington prepares to send an envoy for the first US-North Korea bilateral talks since Obama took office.
Obama, who arrived in Asia last week and flies home later in the day, and Lee have been putting pressure on the North by targeting its finances and telling Pyongyang it will win the money it needs to fix its broken economy and better global standing if it scraps its nuclear arms programme.
–Agencies