Obama Ready To Keep Pressure On Pyongyang
President Obama with South Korean Pres. Lee Myung-Bak - President Obama attends a welcoming ceremony with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on Thursday. (Kim Jae-Hwan / AFP/Getty Images)
The threat posed by a nuclear North Korea and the expansion of bilateral trade were on the agenda Thursday as President Obama met with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on the final leg of a swing through Asia.
Lee Myung-bak greeted Obama at the presidential "Blue House" in the South Korean capital, where schoolchildren, a modern military band and soldiers dressed in ancient blue and yellow uniforms were featured in an elaborate welcoming ceremony.
In discussions that followed, the two men agreed to redouble efforts on a U.S.-Korean free trade agreement.
"I am a strong believer that both countries can benefit from expanding our trade ties," Obama said at a joint news conference with Lee. South Korea is the United States' seventh-largest trading partner.
A free trade pact was negotiated by the Bush administration more than two years ago, but it has yet to be ratified by the U.S. Senate. Obama, mindful that many in his own Democratic Party think free trade is a threat to American jobs, said that such agreements are mutually beneficial if done right.
"One of my goals is to make sure as we work through some of these issues that the American people, American businesses, American workers recognize that we have to look at each country on its own merits and make sure that we can create the kind of win-win situation that I know President Lee is interested in seeing as well," Obama said.
One major sticking point has been access to the Korean market by U.S. automakers. During the news conference, South Korea's president noted that the European Union inked a free trade deal without such a concession for its automakers.
Free trade advocates have warned that Washington's delay in ratifying a trade deal with South Korea is putting U.S. exporters at a competitive disadvantage.
With the delay, the U.S. is "shooting itself in the foot," said Fred Bergsten, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
While the U.S. dithers over ratification, "the Europeans have negotiated an agreement. India has negotiated an agreement," Bergsten said. "Those will probably go into effect before ours, and we will be discriminated against. We will lose exports; we will lose jobs. There will be an adverse effect on our economy, because we've failed in that case to follow through on our own initiative."
Obama and Lee also talked about climate change, Afghanistan and South Korea's role as host of next year's Group of 20 talks. But the nuclear threat from North Korea overshadowed other issues.
Lee said that in two decades of negotiations between the two Koreas, it has been one step forward and two steps back. But he praised efforts by the Obama administration and the U.N. Security Council to put pressure on North Korea to return to the table, and expressed hope Pyongyang would relent.
"International cooperation is perfect in my opinion in terms of trying to resolve this issue peacefully," he said. "I think we are entering a new chapter in bringing this issue to an end."
Obama also touched on the issue of Iran, saying that the U.S. and its allies are discussing new penalties to pressure Tehran into complying with international demands that it halt its nuclear program.
"They have been unable to get to 'yes,' and so as a consequence, we have begun discussions with our international partners about the importance of having consequences," Obama said. "Our expectation is that over the next several weeks, we will be developing a package of potential steps that we could take that will indicate our seriousness to Iran."
The White House described the visit to Asia as largely showing Washington's re-engagement with a region of fast-growing economies that often felt neglected by the Bush administration and its focus on fighting terrorism. To that end, Obama has spoken frequently of reinvigorating alliances with Japan, South Korea and in Southeast Asia, and of welcoming a prosperous, confident China as a partner.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report
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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
And I'm Steve Inskeep.
President Obama finished his trip to Asia today with a final stop in South Korea. He met American troops who've been watching the border with North Korea for more than half a century now. On his final stop on his tour Mr. Obama also met the South Korean president, who joked that Mr. Obama saved the best for last. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.
(Soundbite of music)
SCOTT HORSLEY: The welcoming committee outside the presidential Blue House in Seoul included schoolchildren, a modern military band and South Korean soldiers dressed in ancient blue and yellow uniforms. Mr. Obama called it the most spectacular welcome of his eight day Asian journey, adding that he especially liked the traditional military outfits. South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, jokingly replied the colorful floor-length costumes are difficult to fight in.
Afterwards, the two men held talks in which Lee said they agreed to redouble their efforts on a U.S.-Korean free trade agreement. South Korea's already America's seventh-largest trading partner. Mr. Obama says they can do better.
President BARACK OBAMA: I am a strong believer that both countries can benefit from expanding our trade ties.
HORSLEY: A free trade agreement between the two countries already exists. It was signed by the Bush administration more than two years ago. But it's never been ratified. Since the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama has been a somewhat reluctant free-trader, mindful that many Americans, especially in his own party, don't believe cross-border commerce is working for them.
Today, Mr. Obama said South Korea bares little of the blame for America's ballooning trade deficits.
President OBAMA: And one of my goals is to make sure that as we work through these issues that the American people, American businesses, American workers recognize that we have to look at agreement and each country on its own merits and make sure that we can create the kind of win-win situation that I know President Lee is interested in seeing as well.
HORSLEY: One of the big sticking points in the trade deal has been access to the Korean market by U.S. automakers. President Lee noted that issue didn't stop the European Union from inking a free trade deal, even though Europe has its own automakers to worry about.
Indeed, free trade advocates, like Fred Bergsten of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, warned, the U.S. delay in ratifying a South Korean trade deal is putting would-be American exporters at a competitive disadvantage.
Mr. FRED BERGSTEN (Peterson Institute for International Economics): The United States is really shooting itself in the foot. We negotiate a free trade agreement with Korea, one of the biggest and most dynamic economies in the world over two years ago, but have not ratified it.
In the meanwhile, the Europeans have negotiated an agreement, India has negotiated an agreement. Those will probably go into place before our agreement. We will be discriminated against. We will lose exports, we will lose jobs. There will be an adverse effect on our economy, because we have failed, in that case, to follow through on our own initiative.
HORSLEY: The two presidents also talked, today, about climate change, Afghanistan and South Korea's role as host of next year's G-20 talks. As usual, though, the nuclear threat from North Korea overshadowed most other subjects. President Lee said negotiations with the north are never simple. For 20 years, he said, they've taken one step forward and two steps back.
But, speaking through a translator, he said efforts by the Mr. Obama and the U.N. Security Council to put pressure on North Korea have been helpful and he hopes the north will quickly return to six party talks.
President LEE MYUNG-BAK (South Korea): (Through translator) International cooperation is perfect, in my opinion, in terms of trying to resolve this issue peacefully. And I think we are entering into a new chapter in bringing this issue to an end.
HORSLEY: More than 25,000 U.S. troops remain on the Korean peninsula, almost 60 years after the outbreak of the Korean War. President Obama ended his visit by meeting with some of those troops before his scheduled return to Washington later today.
Scott Horsley, NPR News, Seoul. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
