``U.S. Military Action Is Just…We Pledge Unreserved Support.``

Regarding U.S. attack on Afghanistan, President Kim Dae-Jung made a special speech to the nation on Oct. 8, in which he said ``This action of the international society including the United States is just and we are repeating our unreserved support and pledge of cooperation.``

President Kim told the nation, ``The government has finished examining closely the aftereffects on us that this action could possibly bring forth.`` and ``we are prepared for various measures to meet with any situation.``

President Kim also said ``No country in the world is free from terrorist attacks, and we are no exception. This is more so especially because we are going to host the World Cup and the Asian Games next year.`` and went on to say ``We should maintain impregnable security measures against terrorism so that people from around world can visit Korea free from anxiety.``

In addition, President Kim told the nation ``I hope that my fellow citizens will go about your daily fully as usual and will cooperate with the government with trust in the government`s efforts.``

President Kim discussed cooperative measures of anti-terrorism war with U.S. President George W. Bush over the telephone in the afternoon.

Prior to this, President Kim called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) in the morning, and examined responsive measures of different fields about the U.S. anti-terrorism attack.

In this meeting President Kim ordered △ to proceed normally the South-North Korea relation, △ to examine thoroughly U.S. military facilities and tall buildings that are vulnerable to terrorist attacks, △ to tightly safeguard Islamic mosques and Arab people, △ to prepare the general public against terrorism, △ to disclose the economic situation clearly and ask for support honestly.

The government also held minister`s meetings of its three respective fields of diplomacy-security, economy and society on the same day and discussed a variety of measures such as the security situation of Korean peninsula, security postures for overseas Koreans, measures to support the United States, provisions for crude oil and raw materials and measures to protect major facilities including airports and seaports from terrorist attacks.

The Prime Minister Lee Han-Dong ordered the government officials, those ranking chief and above, of all central sessions to arrive at their posts by 6 o’clock AM and set about emergency duty.

Yun Seung-Mo ysmo@donga.com