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Roh and Bush: Leopard changes its
spots
By Jaewoo Choo
SEOUL -
The summit between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun
and US President George W Bush was very brief, lasting
36 minutes. Of those 36 minutes, five were behind closed
doors. What went on behind the doors between the two has
not been disclosed yet. However, there is a joke in
South Korea that Roh might have used those private
moments to kneel down and beg for mercy for his past
anti-American endeavors and rhetoric. Otherwise the two
could not have posed in the Rose Garden, where they held
their news conference, with such big smiles on their
faces. Roh's smile was one of relief, people
here are saying.
It was evident that Roh was very
nervous about this trip. It was not because it was his
first overseas trip as president nor because it was his
first visit to the United States. He had to be concerned
about his image depicted in the US media last year as he
conducted his presidential campaign. His tough stance on
the issues related to US-North Korean policy lasted
until a month ago. It began to take a soft turn
beginning in April when his appointment with President
Bush approached. The turn was so dramatic that his
supporters did not hesitate to express their
disappointment and criticism on the Internet, a tool
that he utilized in his successful run for the
presidency (Roh: New president for a new
Korea
, December 24, '02).
Indeed Roh may have succeeded
in presenting a different, if not new, image to US
leaders in political, academic and business circles. He
buttered them up. He praised the country. He expressed
high respect for US culture. He said American rich
people are nice and kind. By saying "I have always liked
the US in my head and now I feel it in my heart," he
extolled the values and ideology that the United States
pursues and its efforts in spreading them to the world
for peace and liberty. Roh proclaimed that the bilateral
relationship has been strong for the past half a century
and will remain so for the next 50 years. He solemnly
swore that he will cooperate very closely with Bush on
all issues ranging from the North Korean nuclear problem
to US redeployment of its troops in the South.
His remarks were designed to show his respect
for both the US itself and for the bilateral
relationship between the two nations. Back home in
Korea, however, they appeared as a dramatic shift in
attitude.
Throughout his political career, and
during his presidential campaign, Roh firmly said with
authority that he would not humble himself before the
United States under any circumstances. He promised that
he would not go to the US just to have his picture taken
with prominent figures. He was not ashamed of being
anti-American. One of his aides openly said without
hesitation that the US should take its hands off Korean
problems.
Yet in Washington last week, Roh and
Bush agreed on a wide range of issues. Regarding the
North Korean problem, the two presidents proclaimed that
they agreed it should be resolved peacefully. In the
joint declaration announced after the talks, the two
claimed to agree that if the peace and security of the
Korean Peninsula is threatened further, further steps
must be considered. Although the definition of "further
steps" is not too clear at this stage, if it implies any
kind of measures at all, Roh obviously failed to follow
through with his pledge of persuading his US counterpart
to discard any possibility of a military option in his
handling of the North Korean nuclear issue.
What
really draws our attention is not, however, what he said
about the United States or his meetings with renowned
American politicians, scholars and businessmen and
women. It is what he promised to these people. Roh made
so many promises that if he fails to fulfill them, the
price will be steep. It could jeopardize his leadership
and his nation as well. He said he is committed to join
the efforts to lead the relationship of the two nations
toward a more comprehensive alliance. He promised he
would cooperate closely with the US not only at the
bilateral level but also at the multilateral one that
would include such international bodies as the World
Trade Organization and Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation.
At a luncheon meeting with business
men and women at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel early last
week, Roh presented four principles for reform. By
upholding the basic direction for reform pursued by his
predecessor Kim Dae-jung, Roh stated that his government
would deepen the reform efforts. He said it will
rigorously pursue privatization of state-owned
enterprises, open up the country, improve labor
flexibility to international levels and relax
regulations, thereby creating a better business
environment in South Korea. Toward this end, Roh also
promised to push for a policy that will strive to build
a nation that is technologically advanced and
transparent and fair in its market system. In the end,
declared Roh, his administration will fulfill its policy
for peace and prosperity, a vision he presented at his
inauguration.
Contrasting with his original
stance on the relationship between the nuclear problem
and economic assistance to North Korea, Roh stated
publicly that he will not give Pyongyang aid until it
abandons its nuclear development program and joins the
international community as a responsible state. Yet it
was only two months ago that he said North Korea was
changing, and thus, "even if we don't support North
Korea, we must invest in [it] more". He went on at that
time to express his discomfort with the US by claiming
that "this will be difficult if the United States tells
us to do this or that, but Koreans must keep a strong
will". At a dinner with his predecessor Kim Dae-jung on
April 22, Roh explained his position on North Korea by
stressing that "we should run relations with North Korea
and the US in parallel to strengthen our independent
position ... That is the proper thing to do. I will most
definitely resolve the situation in that manner." But
now, after the Washington summit, the North has been
told at an economic-cooperation meeting this week in
Pyongyang that its nuclear program puts continuing aid
from the South at risk.
All in all, the Roh-Bush
summit was proclaimed successful. On his way back to
Seoul, Roh must have sighed with a great relief that he
was going back home with only hopes, leaving behind the
worries and concerns he had carried on his way to
Washington. But hopes are not realized when you don't
work for them. Roh will now have to keep his word.
Jaewoo Choo, PhD, is a research fellow
with the Trade Research Institute, Seoul. The opinions
expressed in this article are his own.
(2003
Asia Times Online Co, Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
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