박대통령ㆍ오바마, 첫번째 정상회담

박근혜 대통령과 버락 오바마 미국 대통령이 다음달 7일(이하 현지시간) 백악관에서 첫번째 정상회담을 연다고 백악관이 15일 발표했다.

제이 카니 백악관 대변인은 이날 성명에서 "오바마 대통령이 5월 7일 백악관에서 박 대통령을 맞을 것"이라면서 "올해 한•미 동맹 60주년을 맞아 이뤄지는 박 대통령의 이번 방미는 양국 동맹의 성장과 폭, 깊이, 강도를 부각시킬 것"이라고 의미를 부여 했다.

또 "양국 간 글로벌 협력 강화와 깊은 경제 유대관계, 양국 국민의 강력한 우정을 강조하게 될 것"이라고 밝혔다.

<관련 영문 기사>

Obama set for May 7 summit with S. Korean leader

The White House announced Monday that South Korean President Park Geun-hye will visit the United States in early May for talks with President Barack Obama.

"President Obama will welcome President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea to the White House on May 7," it said in a press release, using the official name of the Northeast Asian nation.

It would be their first face-to-face talks since Park took office in February. Their meeting is widely expected to focus on discussing ways to deal with North Korea and set out plans for bolstering the Seoul-Washington ties.

Amid a stream of Pyongyang's bellicose statements, Seoul and Washington are trying to demonstrate that there is no daylight between them on their alliance.

Obama and Park will "discuss a broad range of economic and security issues, including continued cooperation on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and countering the North Korean threat," according to Obama's office.

As the two nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of the alliance this year, it added, Park's visit will "highlight the growth, breadth, depth and strength of our alliance, our increased global cooperation, the deep economic ties between the United States and the Republic of Korea, and the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Korean people."

Park plans to arrive in New York on May 5 for a visit to the United Nations, followed by a three-day stay in Washington, a diplomatic source said. She is also scheduled to visit Los Angeles for a meeting with South Korean residents there before returning to Seoul on May 10, said the source.

Experts said the Park-Obama summit would provide them with a good chance to build a personal relationship.

"It's always a good sign for the leaders of our countries to meet and ensure that the alliance remains strong," Mitchell Reiss, president of Washington College in Maryland said.

"I am sure that North Korea will dominate the bilateral agenda," added the former senior State Department official. "But there are other issues that should not be neglected, including trade and commerce, ROK-Japan relations and China's increasing assertiveness over the past few years across the East Sea."

In the U.S. capital, meanwhile, Park may have a chance to address a joint meeting of Congress.

Two U.S. congressmen -- Steve Israel (D-NY) and Ted Poe (R-TX) -- formally asked House Speaker John Boehner to invite Park to deliver a speech for the session.

They cited Park's historic election as South Korea's first female leader and the significance of the Seoul-Washington alliance that dates back to the 1950-53 Korean War. (Yonhap News)