“Korea to Get Everything Ready for the Security of Troops”

President Roh Moo-hyun and former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, had a luncheon meeting for one and a half hour at the Blue House on November 14, discussing the issues of the troop dispatch to Iraq and the North Korean nuclear standoff.

During the meeting, former U.S. President Clinton said, “In such a situation in which a large number of countries are feeling reluctant to dispatch their troops to Iraq, South Korea’s decision would be highly appreciated by the Bush administration in the U.S.“. He advised that South Korea should be fully prepared for everything in advance in order not to follow the case of Italian forces stationed in Iraq, who were recently hurt by terrorists in a condition that security was not 100 percent guaranteed.

Regarding the North’s nuclear threat, President Roh said, “Even though North Korea has been paying no regard for international standard and practice until now, according to the information gathered by South Korean government, we are interpreting that North Korea also has a desire to figure out the issue peacefully.”

On this, the former U.S. president said, “It is possible that the actual Bush administration may have less interest in the North’s nuclear standoff than before, since the United States is currently facing Iraq problems in terms of international concern, and tax deduction problems of domestic concern.” Clinton promised that he would “make an effort for an early settlement of North Korea’s nuclear problems when he returns to the United States.”

After a meeting with President Roh, the former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited “Kim Dae-jung Library” to meet the former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, the first meeting between the two since the former President Kim resigned from the post. The two ex-leaders warmly embraced at the entrance of the library and continued their conversation for 45 minutes about the mutual cooperation and friendship during their term of office in the past.

Prior to this, at the same day in the morning, Clinton met eight lawmakers at the Seoul Plaza Hotel, who are the members of “progressive politic forum.” In a meeting, he said that there is no one but the South Korean government who has to settle the troop dispatch issue.

Jeong-Hun Kim Min-Hyuk Park jnghn@donga.com mhpark@donga.com