South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush say they will not accept a nuclear North Korea, MSNBC.com reported yesterday (see GSN, May 14).

“President Roh and President Bush reaffirmed that they will not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea,” said a joint statement issued after White House discussions between the two leaders.  “They noted with serious concern North Korea’s statements about reprocessing, possession of nuclear weapons and its threat to demonstrate or transfer those weapons,” it added.

The statement said that the two leaders were committed to a peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear crisis but it added that “increased threats to peace and stability on the peninsula would require consideration of further steps” (Reuters/MSNBC.com, May 14).

Roh and Bush did not detail how they intend to defuse the nuclear standoff, Agence France-Presse reported.  However, Bush did give a nod to Roh’s strong push for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

“I assured the president we will continue to work to achieve a peaceful solution,” Bush said.

The discussions also focused on the common desire for a multilateral solution to the crisis.

“The idea is to get a coalition together, speak with one voice to let the North Koreans know that there is only one door they can go through, and that is to give up their nukes,” said a senior U.S. official after the talks (Stephen Collinson, Agence France-Presse/Philippines Daily News, May 14).

During a brief press conference following the talks, the presidents praised each other and said they would work together closely.

“When I left Korea, I had both concerns and hopes in my mind.  Now, after having talked to President Bush, I have gotten rid of all my concerns, and now I return to Korea only with hopes in my mind,” Roh said (White House transcript, May 14).

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