Bush ‘Concerned’ About N.Korean Human Rights

On the eve of a fresh round of multilateral talks about North Korea’s nuclear program, U.S. President George W. Bush expressed strong concerns about the way the Stalinist country treats its people. "I have expressed my concerns about treatment of men, women and children in North Korea. I worry about a society that is going hungry. I worry about forced labor camps," Bush told the Chosun Ilbo in a special interview at the White House on Tuesday.
Bush said the role of the U.S. Forces Korea was to ensure peace and stability throughout the region. “The arrangement we have on the Korean Peninsula has worked for a long period of time. And that ought to be the operative model as we go forward,” he added.

The interview was limited to three Asian media -- the other two were Japan's Asahi Shimbun and China's Xinhua News Agency - ahead of an eight-day trip starting Monday that takes Bush to Mongolia, China and Japan as well as this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan. The president went on to meet separately with Korean broadcaster KBS as well as the press from the other three countries.

Striking a conciliatory note, Bush said one goal at the APEC summit was to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance. “One thing I hope people do agree with in South Korea is that they got a good friend in the U.S. We've been a friend for a long period of time, and we will remain a friend,” he said. Korea has been moving toward a more independent defense.

Asked what kind of leadership his administration expects from the North Korean regime, Bush said, “The mark of a good leader is one that cares first and foremost about the human conditions of the people that live in the country, and where there is starvation and hunger, the leader's responsibility is to address that.” But his rhetoric was noticeably more restrained two days after he once again called North Korea leader Kim Jong-il a “tyrant” during a visit to Brazil.

He also stressed the importance of achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through diplomatic efforts, saying dialogue to reach that “noble goal” will continue. He said he hoped the North Korean nuclear issue brings about not just dialog but actions and results.

Bush urged South Korea and China on one side and Japan on the other to mend fences after their relations deteriorated over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi continued visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals among his country’s fallen. The visits have reopened the wounds of Japan’s brutal colonization in both countries. “It's possible to forget the past... it's difficult, but it is possible," Bush said.

He also pledged that the long-deferred issue of a free trade agreement with South Korea would be discussed at the APEC summit.

(englishnews@chosun.com )