U.S. President George W. Bush called for talks on weapons of mass destruction and expressed support for South Korea’s efforts to conduct dialogue with North Korea during a 40-hour visit to South Korea that began yesterday. 

Bush said South Korean President Kim Dae-jung’s “sunshine policy” of dialogue with North Korea is visionary, White House officials said.  The two leaders agreed that holding talks with North Korea on weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons is vital to security (Reuters/New York Times, Feb. 20).

The United States is willing to talk with North Korea, but the North Korean regime must prove it will not threaten other countries with weapons of mass destruction, Bush said.  North Korea has not responded to a U.S. offer in June to hold talks, Bush said (see GSN, Feb. 8).  “If anybody’s listening involved with the North Korean government, they know that the offer is real, and I reiterate it today,” he said.

“President Bush is more than ready to dialogue with North Korea,” Kim said.  “The Korean people, I believe will be assuaged by this reiteration” (Mike Allen, Washington Post, Feb. 20).

“We shared the view that it is urgent that North Korea’s WMD and missile issues must be addressed early through dialogue, and that South Korea and the United States agree to make joint efforts for this,” Kim said. 

“Now that we have made a sincere proposal (to the North) for dialogue to settle all issues, I hope the North will respond, and dialogue between the two Koreas and between the North and the United States will resume as early as possible,” Kim added (Sohn Suk-joo, Korea Times, Feb. 20).

North Korea has said the U.S. offer for talks has strings attached and that Bush wants war. 

“We have no intention of invading North Korea,” Bush said (Reuters/New York Times, Feb. 20).  

Bush Continues Tough Talk

Although he did not repeat the “axis of evil” phrase he used last month to describe North Korea, Iran and Iraq, Bush did call the North Korean regime evil (see GSN, Jan. 30).  While visiting the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, Bush saw axes North Koreans used to kill two U.S. soldiers in 1976.  “No wonder I think they’re evil,” he said.

Bush also called on North Korea to open its borders and said he envisioned the Korean peninsula united again in the future (Allen, Washington Post).

“I will not change my opinion on (North Korean leader) Kim Chong-il until he frees his people and accepts genuine proposals from countries, such as South Korea, to dialogue,” Bush said (Reuters/New York Times, Feb. 20).

Criticism of Bush

Bush faced a diplomatic challenge during his visit to keep pressure on North Korea while supporting South Korea’s sunshine policy, according to the Washington Post. 

James Steinberg, former U.S. deputy national security adviser under former President Bill Clinton, said he supported Bush’s identification of North Korea as a dangerous regime but disagreed with the way Bush has dealt with the issue.  “At some point, he has to accompany the tough talk with some indication of how this can be resolved diplomatically,” Steinberg said.  “If North Korea can drive wedges between us and the South Koreans, we will have little chance of achieving our goals.”

Bush’s “axis of evil” phrase angered people in both North and South Korea, according to the Post (see GSN, Jan. 31).  South Korean police restrained anti-Bush demonstrators outside the military base where Bush’s plane landed yesterday (Allen, Washington Post, Feb. 20).

Many South Koreans agreed with Bush, however, and supporters planned to demonstrate in support of the U.S. president, Knight Ridder reported (Ron Hutcheson, Knight Ridder/Miami Herald, Feb. 19).

To China

Bush is scheduled to fly China (see related GSN story, today) for meetings with Chinese President Jiang Zemin tomorrow (Allen, Washington Post, Feb. 20).

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP

Back to top