Park, Obama show little rapport
President Park Geun-hye talks to U.S. President Barack Obama during a summit at the China National Convention Center on the outskirts of Beijing, Tuesday. The summit took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economic leaders meeting on Monday and Tuesday. / Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed Tuesday to make concerted efforts toward the denuclearization of North Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The two heads of state met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing. The bilateral talks marked their fourth meeting since Park's inauguration in February last year.
"They concurred on the need for a collective stance from the international community on the North Korea nuclear issue," presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said.
But the two leaders showed little rapport with each other, even triggering concern over the bilateral alliance. The summit lasted only 20 minutes with the two leaders having reconfirmed their original stances on pending issues.
This compared with the summit between President Park and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Monday, where they came away with a “brilliant” outcome including the “conclusion” of a much-touted free trade agreement.
Cheong Wa Dae showed a lack of professionalism in the run-up to the summit.
Despite its announcements on the meeting, the presidential office was not 100 percent convinced whether Park and Obama would talk with each other ― even up until the morning of the day.
The scene sharply contrasted with the office's preparation for Park's meeting with Xi. Their fifth meeting was confirmed on Oct. 21, when Tang Jiaxuan, a former Chinese state councilor, paid a visit to Park.
"The U.S. delegation arrived late in Beijing, so it took more time to fix the schedule," a Cheong Wa Dae official said.
Min also said Park and Obama exchanged ideas on the South's policies concerning peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
They also talked about the issue of the Ebola epidemic hitting West Africa.
"Park praised Obama's leadership in fighting the virus and he expressed gratitude for Park's decision to support the campaign," Min said.
Last month, Park announced a plan to send a medical team to Sierra Leone to participate in the global efforts to contain the spread of Ebola. Korea has so far pledged $5.6 million to support the fight against the virus.
They also exchanged views on the need to join forces between Korea, Japan and the U.S. for regional security and stability.
The summit took place at the International Convention Center by Yanqui Lake, in Beijing. Park also had a brief meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Min said. He did not elaborate on this.
Earlier in the day, Park showed strong support for the idea of creating the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). The Beijing-promoted FTAAP, seen as China's counterbalance against another regional free trade deal being pushed by the U.S., is a wider free trade initiative embracing all of the 21 APEC economies.
"I am confident that APEC can develop into an Asia-Pacific economic community based on the Beijing road map for the realization of the FTAAP," Park said in a speech at the first working session of the APEC summit. "To do that, South Korea will actively participate."
Xi said, "We should jointly charter the course for future development. The future development of the Asia-Pacific region is vital to the interests of every APEC member."
However, Obama called for the swift conclusion of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, describing it as the "model for trade in the 21st century.”
In a separate session, Park proposed that APEC member states introduce a transportation card that can be used across the region as part of efforts to enhance regional connectivity.