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International Response: U.S. Delays Call for South Korea to Join Proliferation Security Initiative A rough draft of a speech given yesterday by Gen. Leon LaPorte, the top U.S commander in South Korea, included a call for Seoul to join an international effort to intercept shipments of WMD-related cargo, but the general left out that section when he delivered the speech, according to the Korea Times (see GSN, Aug. 4). “The navy of the future must join in the effort to interdict WMD (weapons of mass destruction) delivery,” said the draft of LaPorte’s speech, which was prepared for the eighth International Sea Powers Symposium, hosted by the South Korean Navy. LaPorte did not mention that South Korea should join the Proliferation Security Initiative, however, when he actually gave the speech, according to the Korea Times. Lee Ferguson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Forces Korea, said the rough draft of the speech had been provided to reporters by mistake. A South Korean official said no decision has been made yet on South Korea joining the initiative. “Nothing has been decided on South Korea’s participation in the PSI so far, as the meeting itself has not yet progressed to a stage where it can court new members,” the official said. The official also said that South Korea may be asked to join the initiative during the next meeting of PSI members, scheduled to be held next month in Paris (Seo Soo-min, Korea Times, Aug. 6).
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