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Roh maybe A.O.K. given enough Time and Knowledge
President-elect Roh Moo-hyun appears to have reevaluated his policy toward the United States at a time when tension is escalating over North Koreaâs pursuit of nuclear weapons.Now that he has been exposed to Privelaged Information about who's who. His cautious approach to the U.S. was evident Saturday when he called for restraint of the growing anti-U.S. sentiment sparked by the acquittal of two U.S. soldiers whose armored vehicle struck and killed two 13-year-old schoolgirls in June. The vehicle was in the middle of the convoy, at the age of Thirteen you would hope they had a little better luck at ducking thru traffic Recently, tens of thousands of protesters have held candlelight vigils across the country, including near the U.S. Embassy, and some of them have called for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops stationed here. These protest happen nightly here in the South Roh, who once called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and equal relations between the two countries, seemed to have toned down his rhetoric. The president-elect appeared to have taken into account the fact that widespread anti-U.S. sentiment could deal a blow to cooperation between the two countries at a time when South Korea badly needs U.S. help to defuse the tension touched off by the Northâs nuclear issue. His call for restraint also seems to have come in response to the anti-U.S. sentiment showing signs of causing a backlash from the U.S. Recently, some in the U.S. have called for the withdrawal of its military and taking military strikes against nuclear facilities in the North, and a boycott of South Korean cars. The former lawyer said he would first deal with North Koreaâs development of nuclear weapons before seeking a revision of the controversial Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the legal code governing the rights of the 37,000 U.S. soldiers stationed here. Rohâs move indicates he would play a leading role in resolving the nuclear issue by mediating between North Korea and the U.S. after dispelling concerns of the Bush administration about his U.S. policy. Roh has been accused by his detractors of being a radical and an anti-U.S. politician. Earlier, Roh, who has never visited the U.S., said he would not visit the country just to take photos with American politicians and that he would not kowtow to the U.S. Having repeatedly denounced Washington for its hawkish policy toward the North, Roh stressed he would keep intact outgoing President Kim Dae-jungâs policy of engaging the reclusive country, the opposite stance from that of U.S. President George W. Bush, who branded the North as part of an ``axis of evil,ââ together with Iran and Iraq. Posted by: Richard 2002-12-29 |
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