“Mr. Kim Jong-il”

U.S. President George W. Bush grappled the attention by unprecedentedly referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as ‘Mr. Kim Jong-il’, while mentioning the North Korean nuclear issues yesterday. Bush has been denouncing Kim with offensive words such as an ‘axis of evil,’ ‘outlaw regime’, ‘tyrant,’ and ‘some one not to trust of.’

President Bush mentioned Kim`s name twice during the joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and he referred to him as ‘Mr. Kim Jong-il,’ once and latter just as ‘Kim Jong-il.’

“Neighbors such as China, South Korea and Japan should have a single voice that says to Mr. Kim Jong-il, a decision to develop a nuclear arsenal is one that will alienate North Korea from the rest of the world,” President Bush said. “And therefore we must continue to work with the neighborhood to convince Kim Jong-il that his decision (of developing nuclear weapons) is an unwise decision.”

President Bush has overtly expressed his hatred on Kim and his regime many times since he took office as president.

President Bush, during the 2001 South Korea-U.S. summit with former President Kim Dae-jung, said “I support the Sunshine policy,” but he condemned Kim Jong-il saying, “A true leader wouldn`t let his people starve to death for the sake of strengthening military power.”

The famous ‘axis of evil’ speech was made during the 2002 State of the Union address. At the 2003 January State of the Union address, President Bush also labeled the North and Iraq, as ‘outlaw regimes,’ and said, “On the Korean Peninsula, an oppressive regime rules a people living in fear and starvation.” Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld also defined the North as a ‘terrorist regime’ early this tear.

Seung-Jin Kim sarafina@donga.com