Grand National Party leader Lee Hoi-chang met with US Vice-president Richard B. Cheney at the White House, Thursday, where they shared various opinions with regard to the Korean peninsular. Announcing his stance in favor of the US-led war on terrorism, Lee expressed his condolences for the September 11 terrorist attacks on America.
Lee stressed that policy towards North Korea should be continued on the basis of tolerance, respecting the principle of reciprocity and implementing agreements made, in spite of the recent thaw in inter-Korean relations, to which Cheney concurred.
The two reiterated the allied relationship between Seoul and Washington and noted it will be strengthened with President George W. Bush's visit to Korea set for February, according to an aide of Lee.
The opposition party leader later went on to meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell and Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage and discussed joint countermeasures against terrorism war and policy toward the North. This was followed by interviews with the Republican Party's Christopher Cox, US Rep. and chairman of the House International Relations Committee Henry J. Hyde, and executives of the Center For Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
Lee met with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at the White House on Wednesday and agreed to cooperate in developing the South Korea-US alliance, according to spokesman Nam Kyung-pil, who accompanied Lee.
(From Washington, Choi Byeong-muk, bmchoi@chosun.com)
