By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The White House said Tuesday that no meeting has been planned between U.S. President George W. Bush and presidential nominee Lee Myung-bak of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP).
GNP spokeswoman Na Kyung-won, however, said Lee will continue to conduct economic and energy diplomacy by visiting China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. ahead of the December presidential election.
U.S. National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Gordon Johndroe said that the U.S. does not want to get involved in South Korea's election politics, and hopes to continue cooperative relations with the next president, according to Yonhap News.
The GNP spokeswoman said, ``Previously, the GNP was informed from Lee's personal network that the presidential nominee could meet with President Bush during his visit to Washington scheduled for mid-October.''
She continued: ``It is appropriate for the GNP not to comment on the matter any further, as the U.S. government and the American Embassy in Seoul have said there will be no such meeting.''
Before the statement by Johndroe, GNP leaders said that they had not heard about any change in the proposed meeting.
After the White House denial of the meeting, criticism arose regarding the party's mishandling of the affair.
Critics said that it was inappropriate for the opposition party to seek a presidential meeting through the nominee's personal network, not going through official diplomatic channels.
Kang Young-woo, a member of the National Council on Disability at the White House, was known to have played a key role in attempting to realize a meeting between Lee and Bush.
Opponents also said that the office of the presidential nominee made a public relations blunder as they made news of the meeting public when it had not been officially confirmed by the White House.
Earlier, a GNP spokesman said the U.S. presidential office had confirmed that a meeting would take place in mid-October through an official memorandum.