President George W. Bush said on Wednesday that the United States would not invade the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) but added that he would speak out against DPRK until it showed him it had mended its ways.
Bush, who has described DPRK as part of an "axis of evil", said he backed South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine policy" of reconciliation with the North and added that the United States was willing to talk to the North.
But Bush, on the second leg of an Asian tour that began in Japan and will take him to China on Thursday, said it was up to the North and its president, Kim Jong-il, to show him why he should change his views.
"We're peaceful people. We have no intention of invading North Korea," Bush told a news conference after two hours of talks with the South's Kim.
"I'm willing to have a dialogue with North Korea. I've made that offer before yet there has been no response," he said.
Bush said he would not change his views until Kim Jong-il freed his people.
"I'm troubled by a regime that tolerates starvation," he added. "I think the burden of proof is on the North Korean leader to prove that he does care about his people."
Bush paid tribute to the policy of reconciliation launched by the South's Kim, who told the news conference that the problems should be solved through dialogue.
"I made it very clear to the president that I support the Sunshine Policy," Bush said. "I'm disappointed that the other side, the North Koreans, will not accept the spirit of the Sunshine Policy."
Bush, who met Kim at the presidential Blue House residence in central Seoul, will later visit the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War ended in a truce in 1953.
This will be his first glimpse of one of the three countries he says are an "axis of evil" bent on developing weapons of mass destruction. Iraq and Iran are the other two countries on Bush's blacklist.
The US president arrived in Seoul on Tuesday amid tight security for a 40-hour visit.
South Korea's capital bristled with police with riot sticks and shields. There were demonstrations on Tuesday, and at least three sets of anti-US protests were expected in the city later on Wednesday.
Chief South Korean presidential spokeswoman Park Son-sook told reporters before the talks Kim would "fully express understanding of the US position on the war on terror, in which Korea is part of the international alliance".
"Today also offers a chance to convey fully our belief that on the Korean peninsula peace and security are most important," Park said.
Diplomatic Test
The visit is a test of Bush's diplomatic skills.
His tough approach on DPRK contrasts with a more accommodating policy from his predecessor Bill Clinton, who tried to draw the country into the international community.
It has prompted street protests and a scuffle in the South Korean parliament.
In his State of the Union speech in January, Bush lumped DPRK with Iran and Iraq as "axis of evil" states which he said combined development of weapons of mass destruction with support for groups involved in terrorism.
President Kim has been pursuing a "Sunshine Policy" of engagement and rapprochement with the North. A major objective of Bush's visit is convincing South Koreans these two policies need not conflict.
Bush will persevere with his tough language when he speaks on Wednesday near the heavily fortified 2.4 mile (four-km) deep DMZ, the last major Cold War frontier, senior Bush adviser Karen Hughes told reporters.
"He will address the situation in North Korea with the exact same language that he used in the State of the Union. He will talk about...preventing regimes, some of the world's most dangerous regimes, from developing the world's most dangerous weapons," she said.
Angry protesters have staged several demonstrations near the US embassy since last weekend over Bush's stance.
Ruling party lawmaker Song Sok-chan sparked an altercation in parliament and was rebuked by Kim on Monday when he called Bush "evil incarnate".
Several protesters were detained after trading punches with police as they tried to break an airport security cordon.
The White House shrugged off the protests.
"We are celebrating freedom and their freedom to speak out, even if they disagree, unlike the citizens of North Korea, who do not have that right," Hughes said.
Last week, South Korean officials expressed hope of resuming Seoul's stalled talks with the North and of helping restart US talks with DPRK on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Washington also wants to discuss reducing Pyongyang's conventional threat to the South.
US officials say Washington is waiting for response to an offer for talks without preconditions. The North says there are strings attached.
(China Daily February 20, 2002)
