[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 31 (Monday, August 7, 1995)]
[Page 1335]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a State Dinner for President Kim Yong-sam of South Korea

July 27, 1995

    Let me welcome President and Mrs. Kim, the members of the delegation 
from the Republic of Korea. To all of our distinguished guests, Hillary 
and I are delighted to have you here in the White House. I have 
especially enjoyed this day that I have spent with President Kim, a man 
whose extraordinary resilience is matched only by his commitment to 
democracy.
    Mr. President, this is our fourth meeting. And if you'll permit me 
just a personal note, I am struck by how much we have in common. We were 
both elected to office at an early age. You won a seat in your National 
Assembly when you were just 25. You entered the Blue House just a month 
after I came to the White House. Or to put it in another way, we have 
both spent the past 20,000 hours or so dealing with our respective 
Congresses and fielding hard questions from the press. [Laughter] I'm 
happy to say that President Kim is also an enthusiastic jogger who 
permitted me to jog with him in Korea. And even in this heat, Mr. 
President, after this meal, we may have to run an extra mile together 
tomorrow. [Laughter]
    Mr. President, for all the things we have in common, I must also 
comment on something that sets you apart from most other leaders in the 
world today. And that is the extraordinary hardship you endured and the 
courage you displayed to bring democracy to your country. Your many 
years in opposition were marked by jail terms, years of house arrest, an 
assassination attempt, and a 23-day hunger strike that almost took your 
life. As you once put it, a short life of integrity is better than a 
long life in disgrace.
    But you persisted, and you prevailed. At your inauguration you said, 
``Deep in my heart I have a vision of a new Korea, a freer and more 
mature democracy. At last we have established a government by the people 
and of the people of this land.'' Now, under your leadership, Korea is 
taking its rightful place in the world as both a thriving economy and a 
dynamic democracy.
    Mr. President, the bonds between our people, forged in the fires of 
war upon your land, have only grown stronger with time. We are united 
now by a history of shared sacrifice and a future of common purpose. 
These are our common goals: lasting peace, security, and reconciliation 
on the Korean Peninsula; a stable and prosperous Asia-Pacific region; a 
rising tide of democracy around the world. Working together, the 
Republic of Korea and the United States can help to achieve them.
    Mr. President, when I visited you 2 years ago, you presented me with 
a beautiful work of calligraphy with your favorite saying: Taedo Mumun, 
Righteousness overcomes all obstacles. Mr. President, tonight, in the 
presence of so many people from your country, so many Korean-Americans, 
your wonderful wife, and your two daughters who live in our country, I 
ask everyone in this room to raise a glass to a man who, through his own 
righteousness, has overcome all obstacles: Kim Yong-sam. To you, Mr. 
President, and to the enduring friendship between our two great nations.

Note: The President spoke at 8:30 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to President Kim's wife, Kim 
Myoung Soon, and his daughters, Lee Hye Young and Song Hye Kyung. This 
item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate issue.