    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [November 8, 2005]
    [Pages 1683-1684]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With the Korean Broadcasting System
    November 8, 2005

    Six-Party Talks

        Kwang Chool Lee. Mr. President, thank you for granting this
    interview with KBS, Korean Broadcasting System. Mr. President, today a
    new round in the six-party talks starts in Beijing. Do you have any
    deadline for progress in the talks and for North Korea to dismantle its
    nuclear program?
        The President. I guess I would define my feelings this way: I think
    the world is watching very carefully whether or not we--that's six
    countries--are able to achieve a noble and peaceful objective, which is
    a Korean Peninsula which does not have any nuclear weapons.
        And thus far, there has been some progress, but it's been mainly
    talk. And my hope, of course, is that we begin to see action, results.
    And those results, of course, would be that there would be a verifiable
    dismantling of nuclear weapons and the programs required to make nuclear
    weapons. We will continue to work with the parties to move the process
    beyond rhetoric to reality.

    Yasukuni Shrine

        Mr. Lee. But recently the relations amongst China, Japan, and Korea
    are antagonized by Mr. Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors
    World War II criminals. Mr. President, don't you think this is an
    unnecessary provocation to other Asian countries tortured by these war
    criminals?
        The President. I am aware of the friction caused by the Prime
    Minister of Japan's decision. I believe a
    useful role for me, as someone who is friendly with the three leaders
    involved, is to remind people that it is best to put the past behind and
    move forward in the future. And I understand the sentiments of the South
    Korean people; they're still angry about the past. And so there's a
    natural reaction, when they view a decision made by the Prime Minister.
        I'm hopeful that people will be able to see what happened between
    U.S. and Japanese relations. We're close, like we're close with South
    Korea, and yet my dad, for example, was a
    fighter--a Navy fighter against the Japanese. In other words, with hard
    work, we can get the past behind us, and that would be my hope when I
    discuss this issue with the respective leaders.

    South Korea-U.S. Relations

        Mr. Lee. Mr. President, recently many Koreans and Americans have
    become anxious about the relations between our two countries. What are
    your expectations of Korea in this changing relations, and what does
    U.S. offer to Korea in this changed environment?
        The President. Well, I appreciate that question. Look, I think that
    relations are better than some people want to say they are. As a matter
    of fact, I know relations

    [[Page 1684]]

    between our governments is good. We've done some--we've made some
    difficult decisions together and have acted together. For example,
    troops in Iraq--that was difficult. That was a difficult decision for
    your President. It was a difficult decision for
    me, as a matter of fact, to commit troops. And yet, we're working
    together to bring democracy, and therefore peace, to a troubled part of
    the world.
        We had a base realignment issue that we worked out with the South
    Korean Government. That's not an easy issue, but it's a necessary issue
    that the Government--South Korean Government thought was necessary and I
    agreed was necessary. And we did so in a cordial way.
        We've got a lot of trade. I mean, the trade between South Korea and
    the United States is substantial. There is an opportunity down the road
    for us to put a free trade agreement in. Both countries are going to
    have to work hard to make that happen. There's a lot of exchange of
    people back and forth between our countries.
        So there's a lot of contact, a lot of commerce, and a lot of
    security measures we're taking together. I think the thing to do is to
    keep advancing the relationship and working to make it more mature so
    that we can work together to keep the peace.
        Mr. Lee. Mr. President, you mentioned free trade. And on your recent
    trip to South America, you stressed the importance of free trade. Will
    the FTA be on the main agenda when you visit Korea?
        The President. Oh, I think--I'm not sure what you mean by ``main
    agenda,'' but it's certainly going to be an item we discuss. And you
    know, these agreements are important, but so is a more global agreement,
    called the Doha round of the WTO. And of course, I'll be discussing that
    as well, not only with President Roh but at the
    APEC meeting that South Korea is so kindly hosting.
        Mr. Lee. Thank you, Mr. President, for sharing your views.
        The President. Well, thank you very much. I'm looking forward to
    going back to your beautiful country. And I want to thank the Government
    of South Korea and the people of South Korea for hosting me and
    Laura as we return.
        Mr. Lee. Thank you, sir.
        The President. Yes, sir.

    Note: The interview was taped at 1:27 p.m. in the Map Room at the White
    House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to
    Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and President Roh Moo-hyun of
    South Korea. A tape was not available for verification of the content of
    this interview.