SEOUL, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama pledged Tuesday to increase support for talks to shut down North Korea's nuclear program, the South Korean president's office said.
Discussions about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula came during a phone conversation between Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
"Regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, President Obama said it is important for the countries to increase their cooperation in the six-party talks," Lee's spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said during a briefing.
The talks involve South Korea, the United States, North Korea, Japan, China and Russia.
Obama reportedly said denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula could be realized sooner rather than later through close cooperation within the six-way talks, "considering the recent series of developments," Yonhap reported. It also was reported Tuesday that North Korea may be preparing for a test-firing of a long-range missile.
Tuesday's telephone call was the first official dialogue between Lee and Obama since Obama was sworn in on Jan. 20. During the 15-minute telephone conversation, the two leaders also exchanged views on the global financial crisis, Lee's spokesman said.
