President Kim meets U.S. Pacific Commander

President Kim Dae-Jung expressed Thursday a desire for Korea and the United States to conclude the issue of revising the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) at an early date. Even though the SOFA (signed between Korea and the U.S.) is regarded as favorable in some aspects or as unfavorable in other aspects as compared to the SOFAs the U.S. signed with Germany and Japan, its one or two problematic clauses generally give ordinary Koreans the impression that it is discriminatory,`` the President was quoted as saying.

Kim made the remarks during a meeting with Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command Dennis Blair at Chong Wa Dae. The President also stressed that Korea and the U.S. have to make joint efforts to curb the anti-American sentiment currently emerging in a segment of Korean society due to some incidents involving the U.S. forces stationed in Korea. Commander Blare was quoted by presidential spokesman Park Joon-Young as saying the U.S. forces in Korea would strive to create an image as a good neighbor to Koreans and to settle the SOFA issue at a proper time.