Koreas will decide the peninsula¡¯s fate

U.S. Ambassador Stephen Bosworth said Friday that regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections, U.S. policies regarding North Korea will basically correspond with South Korea¡¯s, and added that no administration would oppose the promotion of peace on the peninsula.

In a speech at the National Assembly¡¯s Asia-Pacific Policy Research Forum, the ambassador said the two Koreas were the major players in the peninsula, with the U.S. playing a supporting role for its key ally, South Korea.

He said that it was only natural for the Republican Party to express a hard-line stance towards North Korea in order to differentiate itself from the Democratic Party in the presidential race. He emphasized that no matter who assumes power in the White House, support for South Korea and inter-Korean ties will remain constant as long as peaceful and open policies towards Pyongyang produce positive results.

However, he added that it was difficult to tell at this point whether the thawing ties between the Koreas would ultimately lead to peace and said that South Korea must be patient. He stressed that Seoul¡¯s open policy and inter-Korean economic cooperation must bring about a visible reduction in the North Korean military threat.

Amb. Bosworth noted that the U.S. is willing to reflect changes and revise the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to maintain strong ties with South Korea. But he expressed reservations with a revision that would place the agreement on the same level as those the U.S. has with Germany and Japan, noting that SOFA is deeply tied with local laws and therefore must be different for each country.