Summit aims for world without nuclear weapon

SEOUL -- The Republic of Korea (ROK) President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that the ultimate goal of the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Seoul is to obtain a "world without nuclear weapons."

"The purpose (of the summit) ultimately lies in making a world without nuclear weapons by minimizing the amount of nuclear materials in the world and strengthening their management," Lee said during his biweekly radio address.

He added the two-day global event that starts on March 26 is expected to encourage participating countries to make concrete pledges on this issue.

Lee said that nuclear materials scattered around the world could yield some 130,000 nuclear weapons, and the summit aims to prevent such materials from falling into the hands of dangerous terrorist groups.

"South Korea has firmly and consistently followed nonproliferation principles despite persistent nuclear threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," said Lee, adding that the country also stands as an example in making peaceful use of nuclear energy.

"These factors have been greatly recognized by the international community, thereby resulting in the hosting of the summit."

Lee also said the upcoming summit is expected to seek broader international support for the DPRK's denuclearization.

The March 26-27 summit will be the largest international event ROK has ever hosted. It is expected to draw about 50 world leaders, including US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Obama hosted the first summit in 2010, saying that the world should work together to bolster international safeguards and prevent nuclear terrorism.