U.S. Pres. Debate Mostly Mentioned N.Korea

U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama used the word “Korea” mostly to refer to North Korea in Friday’s presidential debate with Republican rival John McCain.

Obama used "Korea" once to refer to South Korea in urging the American auto industry to make high-efficient future cars ahead of Japan and Korea.

▽ Barack Obama

"John, … you … in the past [have] threatened extinction for North Korea (and)sung songs about bombing Iran.”

“This notion by not talking to people we are punishing has not worked. It has not worked in Iran, it has not worked in North Korea.”

“(In) North Korea, we cut off talks. They’re a member of the axis of evil. They tested a nuke. They tested missiles. And they sent nuclear secrets, potentially, to countries like Syria.”

“… I actually believe that we need a missile defense because of Iran and North Korea …”

▽ John McCain

“As far as North Korea is concerned, our secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, went to North Korea. By the way, North Korea is the most repressive and brutal regime probably on Earth. The average South Korean is three inches taller than the average North Korean, a huge gulag. We don’t know what the status of the Dear Leader’s health is today, but we know this: that the North Koreans have broken every agreement that they’ve entered into. And we ought to go back to a little bit of Ronald Reagan’s ‘trust, but verify’…”

sechepa@donga.com