Roh Says US Will Give Security Guarantee If NK Gives Up Nukes


By Shim Jae-yun
Korea Times Correspondent


President Roh Moo-hyun, right, holds hands with an elderly woman at a gathering of Korean residents at the Kahala Mandarine Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday.
/ Korea Times


HONOLULU - South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday called for a more sincere attitude from North Korea in the upcoming negotiations, saying the United States will surely give a security guarantee if it abandons its nuclear ambitions.

``Now, we’ll have full-scale dialogues,’’ Roh said in a speech to a gathering of South Korean residents here at the Kahala Mandarin Hotel on his way back to Seoul. ``I hope North Korea will come to the table with trust as well as a more sincere attitude.’’

Roh, who met Bush in Chile last weekend, said the U.S. president had clearly stated that the ``international community will embrace North Korea and the North will get the security guarantee’’ once it gives up its nuclear weapons programs.

On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum last week, leaders of nations involved in the six-party talks held a series of summit talks, where they agreed to resolve the standoff peacefully through diplomacy.

Roh and Bush also reconfirmed the principle of pursuing a peaceful resolution of the 25-month-long impasse under the framework of the six-party talks, despite concerns that Bush may take to a harder line toward North Korea in his second term.

``There will certainly be several ups and downs in the future course of negotiations,’’ Roh told the audience. ``But, I still expect the issue will be resolved smoothly.’’

North Korea and the U.S., along with South Korea, China, Japan and Russia, have so far met three times in the multilateral talks since the nuclear issue emerged in October 2002. The six-party process, however, has been stalled without a major breakthrough since June, with Pyongyang apparently employing a time-buying tactic before the U.S. presidential race on Nov. 2.

On the controversial speech he made in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, in which he urged the U.S. not to take a harder line against the North, Roh explained he felt the need to deliver South Koreans’ perception of the nuclear issue to Americans.

Roh’s remarks had triggered debates more at home than abroad as conservatives, including the main opposition party and some local newspapers, accused him for siding with the communist North while calling for more flexibility from the U.S.

``Fortunately, it seems the U.S. government did not misunderstand me,’’ he said. ``I think my speech might have provided a substantial opportunity for Americans to change their perception on the North if they have a preference for a hard-line policy.’’

Before heading for Seoul, Roh had a luncheon meeting with his security and foreign affairs team, including Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Han Sung-joo, National Security Adviser Kwon Chin-ho and Presidential Advisor for Foreign Policy Chung Woo-sung, among others.

Roh expressed special thanks to those who prepared for his summit with Bush, which he rated as ``more successful than ever,’’ according to officials.

The North Korean issue was among the hottest issues at the just-concluded APEC forum in Santiago as Bush held bilateral summit meetings with Roh, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Pacific Rim leaders.

jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr