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Pres. Lee urges swift aid to quake-ravaged Japan

Posted March. 16, 2011 09:59,   

한국어

President Lee Myung-bak urged Monday swift assistance to the Japanese people in the wake of the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit northeastern Japan Friday.

“As a close neighbor, we should first extend a helping hand to the disaster-stricken country,” he told reporters in the United Arab Emirates before returning home, adding, “The latest difficulty can help both nations usher in a new era.”

“I believe Koreans should show a restrained and mature attitude,” he said. “I`m a little worried because certain messages that can cause misunderstanding were posted on the Internet.”

The president was referring to comments by certain religious figures and netizens that could offend the Japanese people in their predicament.

President Lee returned home Tuesday at a military airport in the southern Seoul suburb of Seongnam and visited the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters to inspect civil defense drills held the same day against nuclear accidents.

In a phone conversation with an official at the Wolseong nuclear power plant in North Gyeongsang Province, the president said, “We need to strengthen drills to prepare for nuclear accidents.”



yongari@donga.com