Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Monday sent a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama to show his support for the U.S. fight against terrorism, after U.S. forces killed a long sought-after terrorist, the presidential office here said.

In the letter, Lee said the killing of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden was "an important accomplishment" in Obama's attempt to eradicate terrorism, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Officials here also said Lee wrote that Korea would cooperate with the U.S. in the latter's future operations against terrorism.

Hong Sang-pyo, a presidential spokesman, said in a statement, "We consider this operation to be an important occasion toward the end of terrorism, and we expect this to contribute to international peace and stability in the future."  

Earlier Monday, Kim Hee-jung, a Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman, said the U.S. informed Korea of the killing of bin Laden before Obama made an official announcement late Sunday night in Washington.

"We are discussing necessary measures with related ministries,"

Kim added.

In his announcement, Obama said, "On nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaida's terror: Justice has been done."

A small team of Americans killed bin Laden early Sunday in the town of Abbottabad, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Pakistan's capital of Islamabad. The team took custody of bin Laden's remains, and American officials said they were being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition, according to news reports. (Yonhap News)