S. Korea, US to 'maximise' bid to stop North launch
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SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea and the United States will "maximise" diplomatic efforts to stop North Korea's planned rocket launch, Seoul's top nuclear envoy said on Tuesday as he left for talks in Washington.
Mr Lim Sung Nam's US trip will be dominated by Pyongyang's announcement on Saturday that it intends to launch a long-range rocket between Dec 10 and 22.
The US and its key Asian allies South Korea and Japan have condemned the move as a disguised ballistic missile test that violates UN resolutions triggered by Pyongyang's two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.
Mr Lim told Yonhap news agency that his talks with US officials would seek to "maximise diplomatic efforts and the coordination between South Korea and the US to block North Korea's launch."
