Obama arrives in South Korea to hold summit with Park

Seoul, April 25 (IANS) US President Barack Obama arrived here on Friday to hold a summit meeting with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye.

The presidents of the two countries will discuss issues of North Korea’s nuclear programme and the South Korea-US alliance amid rising tensions in the region.

Obama began his four-nation Asian tour from Japan where he met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before arriving in South Korea for a two-day trip, Xinhua reported.

The US president headed first for the War Memorial of Korea where he laid a wreath in honour of American soldiers who died during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Then, he moved to the Gyeongbok Palace that had been the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1901). Obama visited the palace as he wanted to conduct a cultural activity at the symbolic place of the country.

The two leaders will discuss the situation in the Korean peninsula, including North Korea’s nuclear programme, the situation in northeast Asia and how to advance the South Korea-US alliance.

Ju Chul-ki, senior foreign affairs and security advisor to Park, said on Thursday that the upcoming summit would serve as an opportunity to solidify the South Korea-US alliance amid the grave security situation on the Korean peninsula.

Obama will also visit Malaysia and the Philippines during the course of his Asian trip.