Stresses importance of relationship, even amid separate approaches
"When concerns come up in the government’s basic foreign and security policies, which stress peace and stability, I think we can voice different views from the United States," South Korean prime minister Han Myung-sook said yesterday. The remark came when Han, at a press conference to mark the 100th day of her holding office, was asked her view on controversial remarks made by unification minister Lee Jong-seok. Minister Lee, in a television interview on July 23, said that no nation prevented North Korea from launching missiles, and if we said the North had tried to pose a threat to the U.S., its missile launch would represent a major failure of U.S. policy. But even with different viewpoints, Prime Minister Han said, "We can never overemphasize the importance of the South Korea-U.S. partnership in our foreign relations.""The President George W. Bush administration’s foreign and security policies have been harshly criticized in South Korea. It is important to establish solid cooperation with Washington, but when concerns in our nation surface regarding individual issues, we can express our own views, reflecting our national interest," Prime Minister Han added. "Even if we have our own voice on individual issues," the prime minister continued, "the alliance with the U.S. won’t be broken down. Instead, when we have our own voice and cooperate with the U.S. for bigger issues, the partnership can be a healthy one."
