Former President Bush Could Meet Kim Jong Il

On September 27, the president of the Korea Society and former ambassador to Korea Donald Gregg stated, “Though U.S. President George W. Bush is less likely to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, former President George Bush could meet Kim Jong Il.”

When asked about the possibility of a North Korea-U.S. summit by members of the Committee on Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade, who were in New York for the inspection of embassies and legations abroad, Gregg answered with the above comments. Gregg and former President Bush are on especially good terms.

Gregg also said that former presidents Bush and Clinton get along well with each other, which was hard to imagine 10 years ago, that North Korea can change in that way as well, and that talking a meeting between former President Bush and Kim Jong Il is a good thing.

In addition, Gregg said, “I can feel that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister and chief negotiator to the six-party talks Kim Kye Gwan, and the U.S. top negotiator Christopher Hill, the assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, are beginning to build trust with each other.”

Gregg emphasized, “It also took a long time for the U.S. and the Soviet Union to negotiate nuclear weapons reductions, but it was resolved in the end.”

Jong sik Kong kong@donga.com