Roh Confident of United Front With Bush on NK
Navy NewStand
2003-05-13
NEW YORK - President Roh Moo-hyun on Sunday expressed confidence that he and U.S. President George W. Bush would work out a united front to bring the North Korean nuclear crisis to a peaceful end during their summit scheduled for Thursday.
“South Korea and the United States as well as the rest of the world agree that North Korea should renounce its nuclear programs and forsake nuclear materials in its possession,” Roh said while addressing hundreds of Korean residents at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on the first full day of his seven-day maiden visit to the United States.
“President Bush has repeatedly expressed his intention to peacefully resolve the North Korean issue,” he said. “I am here to meet him and confirm this united stance.”
During a 30-minute meeting with reporters on his presidential jet on the way here, the president said his goal for the summit was “modest and practical,” pointing out that the situation is too complicated to set the bar of expectations too high.
Asked how he will react if Washington wants to slap sanctions on the North, Roh refused a direct answer, saying South Korea and the U.S. “have a lot more in common than in disagreement.”
Regarding the 37,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea that have played a key role in deterring North Korean provocations, Roh told long-term Korean residents here, “U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) represents the core symbol of the two countries’ alliance and assumes importance both in political and security terms.”
He said the status of USFK should remain as it is in the short term.
“The security situation of South Korea is very uncertain due to the North Korean nuclear problem. If any changes take place without the consent of South Korea, it would most likely put South Korea in a very difficult situation,” he said.
He suggested that Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul, which is home to USFK, may be relocated promptly in keeping with the spirit of realigning the ROK-U.S. alliance but the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division, the fighting horse of U.S. troops in Korea, should remain deployed along the front line to serve as a “tripwire” in case of North Korean invasion.
Top U.S. military brass have reportedly concluded that the tripwire concept, which ensures massive retribution in case of a North Korean attack, is no longer valid when it is trying to rearrange its global military presence.
According to senior South Korean government officials, Seoul and Washington are very close to an agreement to refrain from implementing key troop relocation plans until the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and this agreement will be included in a joint statement to be issued after the May 14 summit.
Roh had a dinner with the 31-member business mission accompanying him at the Waldorf Hotel.
He visited the New York Stock Exchange and rang the bell signaling the opening of trading under the guidance of chairman Dick Grasso. Roh also visited the site of the World Trade Center whose destruction saw the death of 2,823 people including 18 Koreans. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed the presidential entourage.
Roh is scheduled to meet United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Anan to talk about humanitarian aid to the North and speak to the Korea Society during his stay in New York. He will fly to Washington D.C., on Tuesday for a summit with Bush.
Source : www.korea.net
