Ban Praises S. Korean Leader's 'Firm' Stance on Pyongyang

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon praised the "firm" stance taken by South Korea's new president Park Geun-Hye over provocation by rival North Korea in talks at the U.N. headquarters on Monday, a spokesman said.

North Korea dominated the meeting between the two South Korean officials before Park flies to Washington for her first summit with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, "praised the president for her firm, but measured response to recent provocative actions" by North Korea, said U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky.

The U.N. leader "strongly supported her determination to resolve inter-Korean differences through building trust and dialogue."

Ban also reaffirmed his readiness "to contribute to defusing tension and promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," added the spokesman. He also expressed concern about "the serious food and nutrition situation" in North Korea.

Park outlined her "Korean Peninsula trust process" policy that calls for dialogue and exchanges to foster trust with the North to reduce tensions, South Korean presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-Jung was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

The president discussed her efforts with South Korean residents in New York after her arrival on Sunday.

"Should North Korea stop provocations and take the right path that the international community recognizes, I will open up a path of co-development of inter-Korean relations through the Korean Peninsula trust process," she was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

Park and Ban also discussed the fight against climate change and sustainable development, officials said.

The South Korean president will hold her first meeting with Obama at the White House on Tuesday.

North Korea will again dominate the talks, officials said.

Park was sworn in as South Korea's first woman president in February only two weeks after the North's third nuclear weapons test sent security tensions sky-rocketing.