In a special commencement this month, it was announced that President Barack Obama is due to visit the demilitarized zone on South Korea‘s border with the North on Sunday before a nuclear summit in Seoul.
The United States president’s trip to the area separating the north and south on the Korean peninsula comes amidst increased tension over Pyongyang‘s plan to launch a rocket next month. His visit will be a show of support for South Korea, said the White House. There are currently about 28,500 US soldiers stationed in the area.
The 2.5-mile-wide DMZ is the most heavily guarded border area in the world. Former US President Bill Clinton described it as ’‘the scariest place on earth’‘ when he visited in the 1990s. Obama, who is expected to renew pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions, will also meet South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak ahead of the summit starting on Monday.
The three-day Nuclear Security Summit involves more than 53 leaders from nations and international organizations. Obama is also due to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and is widely expected to urge him to draw on Beijing‘s influence for nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang.
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