South Korea's Lee says he welcomes US-North Korea summit

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
South Korea's president would welcome a meeting between US President-elect Barack Obama and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il if it could reduce tension on the peninsula over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, a news report said. "It would be a good thing" for Obama to meet Kim if it helps get the North to give up its nuclear programs, Lee told South Korean reporters in Washington on Sunday after the Group of 20 summit, according to Yonhap news agency. Lee's office in Seoul was not immediately available to confirm the report. Obama said during his election campaign that he would be willing to hold direct talks with North Korea - including possibly meeting with the country's absolute leader Kim.