    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [February 20, 2002]
    [Pages 257-259]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Dorasan Train Station in Dorasan, South Korea
    February 20, 2002

        Mr. President, it's a great honor to be here
    as your guest. Your love of democracy and example of courage have
    changed Korea, have challenged Asia, and inspired the great respect of
    my Government and my country. All your life you have seen the hope of
    change and progress where few could imagine it. You have shown that
    sometimes the conscience and will of a single individual can move
    history. I admire your visionary leadership, and I thank you for your
    hospitality to Laura and me.
        We gather today surrounded by reminders of the challenges to peace
    and stability

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    on the Korean Peninsula. President Kim has just
    shown me a road he built, a road for peace. And he's shown me where that
    road abruptly ends, right here at the DMZ. That road has the potential
    to bring the peoples on both sides of this divided land together, and
    for the good of all the Korean people, the North should finish it.
        Traveling south on that road, the people of the North would see not
    a threat but a miracle of peaceful development, Asia's third largest
    economy that has risen from the ruins of war. The people of the North
    would see more than physical wealth; they would see the creativity and
    spiritual freedom represented here today. They would see a great and
    hopeful alternative to stagnation and starvation. And they would find
    friends and partners in the rebuilding of their country.
        South Korea is more than a successful nation; it is an example to
    the world. When nations embrace freedom, they find economic and social
    progress. When nations accept the rules of the modern world, they find
    the benefits of the modern world. And when nations treat men and women
    with dignity, they find true greatness.
        When satellites take pictures of the Korean Peninsula at night, the
    South is awash in light. The North is almost completely dark. Kim Dae-
    jung has put forward a vision that can
    illuminate the whole Peninsula. We want all the Koreans to live in the
    light.
        My vision is clear: I see a Peninsula that is one day united in
    commerce and cooperation, instead of divided by barbed wire and fear.
    Korean grandparents should be free to spend their final years with those
    they love. Korean children should never starve while a massive army is
    fed. No nation should be a prison for its own people. No Korean should
    be treated as a cog in the machinery of the state.
        And as I stated before the American Congress just a few weeks ago,
    we must not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us
    with the world's most dangerous weapons.
        I speak for these convictions even as we hope for dialog with the
    North. America provides humanitarian food assistance to the people of
    North Korea, despite our concerns about the regime. We're prepared to
    talk with the North about steps that would lead to a better future, a
    future that is more hopeful and less threatening. But like this road
    left unbuilt, our offer has gone unanswered.
        Someday, we all hope the stability of this Peninsula will be built
    on the reconciliation of its two halves. Yet today, the stability of
    this Peninsula is built on the great alliance between the Republic of
    Korea and the United States.
        All of Asia, including North Korea, knows that America will stand
    firmly--will stand firmly--with our South Korean allies. We will sustain
    our obligations with honor. Our forces and our alliance are strong, and
    this strength is the foundation of peace on the Peninsula.
        American forces receive generous support from our South Korean
    hosts, and we are very grateful. Together, we are increasing the
    effectiveness of our military forces, even as U.S. troops become a less
    intrusive presence in Korea, itself.
        Americans are also very grateful for the tremendous outpouring of
    sympathy and support shown by the South Korean people following the
    terror of September the 11th. Today, both our nations are cooperating to
    fight against terror, proving that our alliance is both regional and
    global.
        The United States and South Korea are bound by common interests. Our
    alliance is defined by common values. We deeply value our own liberty,
    and we care about the liberty of others. Like the United States, South
    Korea has become a beacon of freedom, showing to the world the power of
    human liberty to bring down walls and uplift lives.
        Today, across the mines and barbed wire, that light shines brighter
    than ever. It

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    shines not as a threat to the North but as an invitation. People on both
    sides of this border want to live in freedom and want to live in
    dignity, without the threat of violence and famine and war. I hope that
    one day soon this hope will be realized. And when that day comes, all
    the people of Korea will find in America a strong and willing friend.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:55 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea.