Bush's every word will be weighed

At next week's summit between President George W. Bush and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung what Mr. Bush says will most likely set the tone for events on the peninsula this year, observers said.

Under normal circumstances Mr. Bush's visits to Japan, South Korea and China would most likely be seen as mere courtesy calls. But after the Sept. 11 attacks and his labeling Pyeongyang as part of an "axis of evil" that includes Iraq and Iran the tour has taken on new significance for the region.

The summit agenda can be seen as a South Korean move to shift its focus from building unity with North Korea to a coalition with Washington - a change the White House has no objection to.

Mr. Bush wants to strengthen ties with allies like Japan and South Korea to ensure that he has their support as he expands his war on terror. Indeed, Seoul and Washington have agreed to stress the importance of "global partnership" at the summit.

The reported agenda does not spell out any practical measures on how to reinforce the U.S.-South Korea alliance. But the United States is expected to demand that Seoul buy F-15 fighter jets, emphasizing the need to improve operational compatibility with U.S. troops, observers said.

Mr. Bush will reportedly offer support for South Korea's engagement policy and urge the North to resume talks with Washington unconditionally.

He is expected to bring up the issue of the North's weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Kim will express his sympathy for Mr. Bush's point of view about problems associated with any weapons of mass destruction and emphasize dialogue as the only solution to the issue, observers predicted. "Mr. Bush brandished his sword against the North in his State of the Union address," a South Korean government official said. "At the summit, he will put it back in its sheath."

Yet for all the scripting of the summit agenda, Mr. Bush's longstanding antipathy toward the North Korean regime may bring surprises, as it did when Mr. Bush and Mr. Kim met last March in Washington. Mr. Bush expressed "skepticism" toward North Korean leader Kim Jong-il at a press conference, and the remark prompted the North to essentially freeze planned exchanges with the South.

by Oh Young-hwan