Airport smiles as Bushes land in Seoul

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Airport smiles as Bushes land in Seoul

U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush arrived at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, near Seoul, on Tuesday, kicking off his three-day trip to South Korea amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's arms capabilities.

Mr. and Mrs. Bush, dressed in dark gray and sky-blue, respectively, smiled and waved as they emerged from Air Force One at 4:44 p.m. Greeting them were Foreign Minister Choi Seong-hong; the South Korean ambassador to the United States, Yang Sung-chul; General Thomas Schwartz, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Forces Korea, and other senior officials from the two governments.

Mr. Bush did not issue any comments upon his arrival, quickly moving to the U.S. Yongsan Garrison where he met with some soldiers among the 37,000 stationed in South Korea. The first couple then retreated to their quarters at the U.S. ambassador's residence, concluding a quiet first day in Korea. Mr. Bush's main program, including his meetings with President Kim Dae-jung, will be on Wednesday.

As Mr. Bush flew into Seoul from Tokyo, the nation's police went on emergency footing, reinforcing their deployments in vicinities surrounding the U.S. Embassy in Gwanghwamun, the United States Information Service building in Itaewon and the American Chamber of Commerce in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. Radical students broke into the AmCham office on Monday, protesting Mr. Bush's reference to North Korea as "evil."

At Wednesday's 80-minute meeting, Mr. Kim is expected to stress the importance of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"President Kim will fully convey the South Korean people's sentiment that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula are the most important thing," said Park Sun-sook, the Blue House spokeswoman.

Mr. Kim will also reaffirm strengthening the traditional security alliance between South Korea and the United States, opposition to terrorism and resolving North Korea's weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and missiles. Mr. Kim will stress that these items should be addressed through dialogue.

by Lee Chul-hee

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