S. Korea Expected to Seek Reaffirmation of U.S. Nuclear Protection

Kind of interesting.....

[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

SEOUL, June 15 -- As state media in North Korea continued to warn of possible nuclear war, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak flew to Washington for talks with President Obama at which Lee is expected to seek a written promise of continued U.S. nuclear protection.

The United States has maintained a nuclear umbrella over South Korea since the Korean War and it periodically reaffirms that protection, although not at the level of a White House statement.

When Lee meets with Obama on Tuesday, North Korea will be at the top of the agenda and Lee will try to secure a written commitment that the United States will provide extended nuclear deterrence, unnamed officials in the presidential office here have told the South Korean press.

North Korea tested its second nuclear bomb last month, triggering worldwide condemnation and cranking up anxiety in Seoul. When the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions on the North for that test, the government of Kim Jong Il quickly responded in the fist-shaking manner that has characterized its behavior for most of this year.