Washington, Seoul vows unity on DPRK

Joined by South Korea's leader at the White House, Obama promised to end a cycle of letting DPRK create a nuclear crisis, then granting such concessions as food and fuel to get it to back down, only to see it renege later on its promises. Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak achieved a level of unity that eluded Washington and Seoul during the era of their predecessors, George W. Bush and Roh Moo-hyun, when Pyongyang exploited gaps between a tough US stance and accommodating South Korean policies. The United States and South Korea, as well as other regional players, are committed to enforcing UN Security Council actions approved last week that aim to stop DPRK weapons shipments and tighten curbs on its finances. DPRK, which last month conducted a nuclear explosion and missile tests in defiance of international pressure, said on the weekend it would start a uranium enrichment program and weaponize all its uranium in response to the new sanctions; Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version.