S Korean leader to visit American counterpart

South Korean President Park Geun Hye will meet with US President Barack Obama in Washington May 7, the White House said Monday, as tensions on the Korean peninsula remain high amid escalating threats from North Korea, DPA reported.

"As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the US-ROK alliance this year, President Park's visit will highlight the growth, breadth, depth and strength of our alliance," spokesman Jay Carney said.

Carney added that it also further demonstrates the deep economic ties between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and "the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Korean people."

Park, 61, South Korea's first female president, took office February 25. In her inauguration address she urged North Korea to give up its nuclear programme and focus on its development instead.

Her talks with Obama at the White House will include cooperation on denuclearization and the North Korean threat as well as other economic and security interests, Carney said.

The visit "underscores the importance of the US-ROK alliance as a linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia Pacific region, and of the central role of alliances in the president's Asia-Pacific rebalancing effort," he said


/Trend/