    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [April 19, 2008]
    [Pages 533-539]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea at Camp David, Maryland
    April 19, 2008

        President Bush. Welcome. We're glad you're here, Mr. President, and
    we're glad you brought Mrs. Kim. We had a
    wonderful dinner last night and looking forward to having lunch too
    today.
        We've had great visits. And this is an important visit for me to get
    to know you. I heard about your background. I admire your strength of
    character. And this is an important visit to strengthen the relationship
    between our two countries, and I believe we have done so.
        President Lee. Thank you.
        President Bush. President Lee is the first Korean President to visit
    Camp David. And I don't know if the American citizens understand your
    nickname.
        President Lee. Yes.
        President Bush. You're known as the Bulldozer. [Laughter] He said to
    make sure that it was a bulldozer with a computer. [Laughter] And the
    reason why is that this is a man who takes on big challenges, and he
    doesn't let obstacles get in the way. I like his spirit, I like his
    candor, and I like his optimistic vision. But most of all, I really
    appreciate his values.
        A good relationship is based upon common values, and our countries
    share common values, values of the rights of each individual to live in
    a free society. We believe in human dignity and justice.
        Now, we discussed a variety of issues. We talked about our defense
    cooperation. In 2004, our nations began an alliance transformation that
    has involved realigning U.S. forces in Korea and relocating some of them
    from the peninsula. We're in constant touch, and we're constantly
    reassessing our needs. And we have reaffirmed our need to remain in
    close dialogue. And we reached an agreement to maintain the current U.S.
    troop level on the peninsula. This is a mutual agreement that benefits
    both our nations and will strengthen our alliance, and Secretary
    Gates and Defense Minister Lee will coordinate its implementation.
        Korea has asked that--to upgrade its foreign military sales status
    with the United States and to have the same access to U.S. military
    technologies as NATO and other key allies. And I strongly support this
    request and have instructed Secretaries Rice and Gates to work
    with the Congress to get this done.
        Yesterday our nations signed a memorandum of understanding on
    security improvements necessary for Korea to enter the Visa Waiver
    Program. This was a very important issue for the President.
        President Lee. Yes. Sure.
        President Bush. We spent a lot of time talking about this issue.
    These security enhancements put Korea on the path toward visa-free
    travel to the United States for its people. We promised that both sides
    will work hard on this issue so that Koreans will be visiting the United
    States under the Visa Waiver Program before this year ends.
        The United States and Korea are working to improve security and
    advance freedom in the Asia-Pacific region. Together with China, Russia,
    and Japan, our nations are pressing North Korea to fulfill its
    obligations to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Thanks to the six-
    party framework,

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    North Korea has begun disabling the plutonium production facilities at
    Yongbyon. And now North Korea must fulfill its other obligations:
    provide a full declaration of its nuclear programs and proliferation
    activities in a verifiable way.
        President Lee and I discussed our mutual concern for the human
    condition in North Korea. I mean, we are--our hearts break when we hear
    these stories of families that have been torn apart or people being
    subjected to harsh work camps because of their beliefs. We believe in
    basic rights, and we believe those rights ought to be extended to the
    people of North Korea.
        We're also thankful for the Koreans' contributions to the young
    democracies, whether it be Afghanistan or Iraq or Lebanon. And we want
    to thank you and your people, Mr. President, for those sacrifices.
        And then, of course, we talked about our economy. As a former CEO,
    President Lee understands the importance of trade. First of all, I want
    to thank you, Mr. President, and I appreciate your decision to reopen
    the Korean market to American beef, consistent with international
    standards. This is good news for Korean consumers, and it's good news
    for American beef producers. As a matter of fact, we had some good
    American beef last night for dinner. [Laughter]
        Now, our United States Congress must reject protectionism. It must
    not turn its back on a friend and ally like Korea and must approve the
    free trade agreement with Korea this year. So the President was
    wondering--you see, he's been reading about the decision by our
    Speaker that effectively killed the Colombia
    free trade agreement, unless, of course, she gives us a date certain of
    when there will be a vote. He wonders if this protectionist sentiment is
    such that it will cause me, for example, not to continue to fight for
    free and fair trade.
        I assured him that the Korea trade agreement is a priority of this
    administration, and I assured him that we will press hard with the
    United States Congress. It's in our country's interests that we approve
    this agreement, Mr. President. It's in our interests that we stand with
    our friends and allies. And it's in the interests of the world that we
    complete the Doha negotiations for the WTO. We spent some time
    discussing that as well.
        And then--and finally, we talked about our mutual desire to have a
    rational, practical approach to international climate--the international
    climate issue of global warming. I mean, it's--how can you possibly have
    an international agreement that's effective unless countries like China
    and India are not full participants? And that's why I assured him this
    major economies meeting that's taking place in Paris--I assured him I
    meant what I said in my speech in the Rose Garden, and that, hopefully,
    by the time we get to G-8, there's a serious effort by all major
    economies to become active participants in a effective strategy to deal
    with this issue.
        So we had a great discussion. Really appreciate you coming. And, Mr.
    President, the podium is yours.
        President Lee. Thank you very much, Mr. President. First of all,
    thank you for inviting me and my wife to this beautiful place called
    Camp David. I would like to extend my thanks to you, President Bush and
    Mrs. Laura Bush, for their invitation. And I was warmly welcomed by the
    American people. If I were to have known I was going to get this warm
    hospitality, I should have come earlier. [Laughter]
        Again, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to you, Mr.
    President. And also, we had a very productive discussion. We had a very
    open and frank discussion. And I believe that today's meeting was very
    constructive, and I'm very thankful for having this meeting, Mr.
    President.
        The Korea-U.S. alliance was pivotal in ensuring peace and stability
    of the Korean Peninsula but also that of Northeast Asia. Now, as the
    international situation as well

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    as the economic and security situation change dramatically, our alliance
    is also called upon to undergo new changes. And so in order to
    effectively respond to these need for change, President Bush and I
    agreed to develop our alliance into an alliance based on freedom and
    democracy, human rights, and the principle of market economy, otherwise
    known as the 21st-century strategic alliance, something that will
    contribute to global peace and security as well.
        Furthermore, we both agreed to--based on such mutual understanding
    and common ideas--to discuss specific ways to realize our vision for
    this strategic alliance. So we'll discuss this when President Bush
    visits Korea later on this year.
        Just a while ago, President Bush mentioned as for the U.S. forces in
    Korea, he decided to maintain the current troop levels in Korea. Is that
    right, Mr. President?
        President Bush. Yes, that's an accurate statement.
        President Lee. Both of us reaffirmed once again that under no
    circumstances would we allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons.
    Also, we agreed to work together closely within the six-party talks so
    that North Korea can fully and completely give up all their nuclear
    weapons program as soon as possible.
        Korea and the United States do not harbor any hostile intent towards
    North Korea. We both agreed to work together to help North Korea escape
    international isolation and to improve the lives of the North Korean
    people. President Bush supported our policy towards North Korea,
    including our denuclearization opening 3000 policy, and also said that
    the United States will continue to dialogue--seek ways to promote
    dialogue in exchange with North Korea.
        Both President Bush and I agreed that the passage of the KORUS FTA
    will benefit not only our two economies but also act as a catalyst to
    substantially improve exchange and cooperation in all areas between our
    two countries. And so we agreed to work closely together for the speedy
    ratification of the KORUS FTA. And, Mr. President, he agreed to work
    very closely and to convince the United States Congress to pass the
    KORUS FTA by the end of this year. I would like to thank you for that.
        Among the achievements of my visit to the United States--there were
    a lot of difficulties for Koreans to visit the United States. Most of
    all, the difficulty they faced was due to the difficulty in getting
    visas to enter the United States. However, the Republic of Korea has
    signed a memorandum of understanding for--to take part in the Visa
    Waiver Program, and we agreed to implement this by the end of this year.
    Once that happens, our cultural exchange as well as our economic
    exchange and the exchange in many areas will expand, and I have high
    hopes for that.
        At the same time, President Bush and I agreed to expand exchange
    programs for our youth and students, which will ensure a brighter future
    for our bilateral ties.
        We reaffirmed that nuclear nonproliferation and the promotion of
    democracy and human rights are all a vital component in making our world
    a better, safer place. In this regard, in order to ensure sustainable
    development, we agreed to work closely on the issues of climate change
    and energy securities, matters which are very serious and concerns us
    all.
        During the summit meeting today, I was very heartened to hear that
    the United States and President Bush personally had a very strong
    interest in fighting global warming and climate change. That's a very
    important decision, and I hope that the United States--and I have
    confidence that the United States will take a leading role in this
    issue, and I have confidence Mr. President Bush will do that as well.
        I invited President Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush to visit Korea this
    summer, and I'm pleased to note that President Bush agreed and readily
    accepted to come visit Korea with Mrs. Bush.

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        Once again, today's meeting was an opportunity for us to reaffirm
    our mutual trust, and that we agreed to work together to solve issues
    not only of the peninsula but to work closely and cooperate with issues
    of global concern.
        I'm very happy with the results of today's meeting. And we will work
    very closely together to see the complete dismantlement of the nuclear
    weapons program of North Korea, and we will work closely within the six-
    party talks framework. And we must see the satisfactory conclusion,
    which will lead to helping the North Korean people lead better lives
    with dignity.
        Once again, Mr. President, I'm very happy to have met you, Mr.
    President, as well as Mrs. Laura Bush. And thank you for the warm
    hospitality extended to me and my delegation by the people of America.
    We will work closely together with a future-oriented mind. And I promise
    you I will do my very best, Mr. President.
        President Bush. Thank you. We'll do two questions a side.

    North Korea

        Q. I have the same question for both of you.
        President Bush. I warned him.
        Q. [Inaudible]--not two questions.
        President Bush. Well, no, it's--[laughter].
        Q. Isn't--first to President Bush--isn't scaling back demands about
    what the--North Korea has to declare giving in to a country that has
    repeatedly demonstrated that it can't be trusted? Former U.N. Ambassador
    Bolton has called it a complete collapse in the deal, and your critics
    are saying that you're selling out to get an agreement. Why is it not?
        President Bush. Look, we're going to make a judgment as to whether
    North Korea has met its obligations to account for its nuclear program
    and activities, as well as meet its obligations to disable its reactor.
    In other words, we'll see. The burden of proof is there. We've laid
    out--they've made some promises, and we'll make a judgment as to whether
    they met those promises. And then we and our partners will take a look
    at North Korea's full declaration to determine whether or not the
    activities they promised they could do could be verified. And then we'll
    make a judgment of our own as to whether or not--you know, we'll--about
    our own obligations.
        Q. So you're not--[inaudible]--about what you're asking them?
        President Bush. You know, there's all kinds of rumors about what is
    happening and what's not happening. Obviously, I'm not going to accept a
    deal that doesn't advance the interests of the region. The whole
    objective of the six-party talks and framework is to get them to
    disclose their weapons programs, is to get them to dismantle their
    plutonium processing, is to get them to talk about activities, nuclear
    activities. And we'll make a judgment as to whether or not they do that.
    But somehow, people are precluding--you know, jumping ahead of the game.
    They have yet to make a full declaration. Why don't we just wait and see
    what they say before people go out there and start giving their opinions
    about whether or not this is a good deal or a bad deal.
        But one thing is for certain: The most effective way to deal with
    this issue is to do so with parties like China and Japan and Korea
    joining the United States and South Korea with a common voice. The whole
    object of this exercise is to convince the leader of North Korea to give up his nuclear weapons ambitions. That's the
    whole object.
        And so we have yet to come to the stage where he has made a full declaration. And so we'll wait and see
    what he says, and then we'll make a decision about our obligations,
    depending upon whether or not we're convinced that there is a solid and
    full declaration and whether or not there's a way to verify whether or
    not he's going to do what he says he's going to do.

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        President Lee. As for the declaration of North Korea, that is in a
    very important process. I believe if North Korea's declaration is not
    satisfactory or if the verification is not satisfactory, we could
    probably have a temporary achievement. But in the long term, that will
    cause a lot more serious problems. I believe President Bush shares this
    thought with me.
        Mr. President Bush explained just now the declaration, the
    verification process, has not begun. We are still waiting for North
    Korea to declare their full program. They should not get away with this
    temporary measure. The United States is not dealing with the--North
    Korea alone. There are other parties to the six-party talks, and they
    must all agree to North Korea's declaration. So in that regard, North
    Korea's declaration of their nuclear weapons program should be complete
    and correct, and verification, I'm not sure how long that is going to
    take, but North Korea must faithfully cooperate with verification
    process.
        All the parties of the six-party talks are with one mind that the
    verification process must be full and complete and satisfactory. I think
    it's inappropriate and unconstructive for us to have too many doubts
    before the process even begins. The process is beginning. We should have
    trust in the process, and I will watch this process and cooperate fully.

    North Korea-South Korea Relations

        Q. I have a question for President Lee. Korea and the United States
    have made many achievements through the summit meeting, especially North
    Korean nuclear issue and the strengthening of the alliance. As for North
    Korean nuclear issue, Mr. President Lee suggested setting up a permanent
    liaison office in both Seoul and Pyongyang. What are some of the follow-
    up effects, if you do have any follow-up actions? And do you have any
    thoughts of proposing a meeting with Chairman Kim at an earlier date?
        President Lee. The process is not something that we discussed
    between ourselves during the summit meeting. In fact, when I was staying
    in Washington, DC, I had an interview with one of the newspapers there,
    and it came up. Of course, it was not a sudden suggestion. I did have a
    meeting among my staff and related ministries, and I talked about this
    in detail before I came to the United States.
        We have a new administration in Korea, and we haven't yet to begun
    dialogue with the North Koreans. Inter-Korean dialogue, there is a need
    for us to have dialogue all the time. Up until now, we had dialogues
    whenever the need arose, and then it would stop. However, dialogue
    should be based on genuine cooperation and sincerity. And so with this
    in mind, I thought that it would be helpful to set up a permanent
    liaison office in both Seoul and Pyongyang.
        As for the summit meeting between myself and Chairman Kim, I will
    agree to it when the need is real. And I already said publicly that I am
    willing to meet with him--not just once, but many times--but if the
    meeting will yield substantial and real results. I believe only when
    that is possible, I am ready to meet with him and have sincere dialogue,
    because that will help to bring about peace and stability of the
    peninsula.
        So basically, I do hold that thought, but I'm not suggesting that--
    to have a meeting with Chairman Kim anytime soon. If the need arises,
    again, I'm ready to meet with him.
        President Bush. Steven Lee [Steven Lee Myers, New York Times].

    North Korea/Six-Party Talks

        Q. Thank you very much, Mr. President. If I could follow up a little
    bit on North Korea, the North Koreans agreed last year to make their
    disclosure. We're now in April, and we've yet to see this disclosure.
    There are continued negotiations, a new round next week. Are you
    concerned that,

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    given this record, they're not prepared to make this full disclosure,
    that they're stalling the process somehow? And if so, a question for
    both of you: How do you respond to that?
        President Bush. Yes, of course. I mean, they may be trying to stall.
    One thing about a nontransparent society where there's not a lot of free
    press, for example, or a lot of opposition voices, it's hard to tell
    what's going on. Now, he has made declarations,
    and he's testing the relationship. He's wondering whether or not the
    five of us will stay unified. And the only thing I know to do is to
    continue pressing forward within the six-party framework.
        The decision--we've made our decision. We, the five of us, have made
    our decision, and that is, there's a way forward. And obviously, we hope
    he chooses to honor his commitments in a
    verifiable way. But it's--when you're dealing with a society in which
    it's hard to get information out of, you just have to wait and see
    whether they're sincere or not. Unlike our society, of course, where
    there's all kinds of people in the administration talking and sharing
    information with you--some of it authorized, some of it's not--it
    doesn't happen that way in North Korea. It's a closed society. It's a
    society in which the will of one person decides the course of the
    future.
        And again, we're very hopeful. We talked about our mutual desire to
    keep the six-party framework in place to deal with a lot of issues. The
    first one, of course, is with North Korea. And it's--I can just tell
    you, Steven Lee, it's much more effective to have more than one voice
    speaking on this issue than to be the sole voice speaking on the issue.
    And so if it--if there ever is going to be a breakthrough, it's through
    the six-party framework.
        And look, I'm hopeful. We'll see. This has been a--I've been at this
    for quite a while. And there's been moments where it looked like the
    process was going to go very smoothly and everybody's going to honor
    their commitments, and then for one reason or another, there's a--there
    was a setback. But the key thing is, is that we haven't abandoned the
    efforts to solve this problem peacefully and diplomatically.
        President Lee. Thank you. If you correctly understand North Korea
    and if you do understand North Korean society, you'll probably get a
    better picture of why we are seeing some delay in the process at the
    moment. If North Korea wasn't like that, then we would have seen the
    resolvement of this issue already. We need persistent patience, ladies
    and gentlemen. And we need time in order to have complete resolution of
    this issue.
        However, it's difficult to convince North Korea to give up their
    nuclear weapons program, but it's not impossible. It is not impossible.
    I believe that. So in order to resolve this issue, I believe that the
    six-party talks is the most effective way and mechanism to resolve this
    issue, like the President mentioned. And right now we're in the stages
    of waiting for their declaration, and then we can move on to the
    verification process.
        So I think it's up to you to make the atmosphere so that North Korea
    can faithfully abide by their promise and make the right declaration,
    that once North Korea does so, it is also in their interest to make the
    correct decision to give a full and complete declaration. And it will
    also help the North Korean people improve the quality of their life, and
    that is the best strategic choice that they can make.

    South Korea-U.S. Relations/China

        Q. Chosun Daily News. I have a question for President Bush. The
    United States has a divergent alliance with countries like the United
    Kingdom, Japan. In your opinion, President Bush, what kind of alliance
    do you have with the Republic of Korea? And during your summit meeting
    today, I believe you agreed to upgrade the Korea-U.S. alliance. In order
    to upgrade the alliance, what kind of new movement will you take on, for
    instance, the transfer of wartime

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    operational control? And what will you do, President Bush--do you have
    any intention to meet with both President Lee and Chairman Kim in order
    to resolve this issue?
        President Bush. No--[inaudible]--described the relationship--
    [inaudible]--a 21st-century strategic alliance. That makes sense to me.
    So what does that mean? Well, it means we work in ways to deal with
    21st-century problems, such as proliferation of nuclear materials, such
    as working to make sure our children are educated with the tools
    necessary to be productive citizens, such as having a recognition that
    in the 21st century, a free and fair trading system will be necessary
    for prosperity. And that's why it's going to be very important for our
    Congress to ratify the free trade agreement with Korea.
        It's going to be very important a 21st-century alliance recognizes
    that China is a opportunity for both nations to engage in a constructive
    way. Well, we have our problems with China, of course, whether it be
    human rights or how the Chinese leadership deals with the Dalai
    Lama or with Burma, a variety of
    issues. On the other hand, you can either have a constructive
    relationship--we can work constructively with China--or we can have a
    destructive relationship. I've chosen to have a constructive
    relationship.
        And so the step one is to anticipate the issues confronting our
    peoples in the 21st century, and step two is to develop a practical way
    to deal with those issues. And that's exactly what our conversation
    revolved around. And I'm confident that this meeting has strengthened
    our relationship, and I'm confident that the American people understand
    how important this relationship is to our own prosperity and our own
    security.
        And so it's been a really good visit, and we're glad you came here
    too. [Laughter] Yes. Thanks for coming. Thank you, sir.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 11:17 a.m. In his
    remarks, he referred to Kim Yoon-ok, wife of President Lee; Minister of
    National Defense Lee Sang-hee of South Korea; Chairman Kim Jong Il of
    North Korea; and Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. A reporter referred
    to Ambassador John R. Bolton, former U.S. Permanent Representative to
    the United Nations. President Lee and some reporters spoke in Korean,
    and their remarks were translated by an interpreter.