South Korea's defense chief asked the international community today to be more patient in trying to resolve the prolonged standoff over North Korea's nuclear program and said the security situation in the Korean Peninsula remains stable, despite the crisis, reported the South Korean news agency Yonhap. Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo also said South Korea will set up its own missile defense system starting next year regardless of whether or not the six-way talks on the nuclear issue succeed. "The process of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula will move forward stably when all parties to the talks embrace a patient and cooperative posture in managing the North Korean nuclear issue," Kim said in a keynote speech at the sixth Asia Security Summit, also called "Shangri-La Dialogue." Kim's remarks came just after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in his speech here that Washington's patience on North Korea is not unlimited. -- SPA
