Abortive Visit

Real Alliance Should Be Two-Way Relationship

U.S. President George W. Bush's scheduled visit to Korea has been delayed ― or canceled, according to some diplomatic watchers.

The news should surprise few people on both sides of the Pacific in view of the unabated anti-government protests in Seoul triggered by the U.S. beef import deal. There are few urgent pending issues anyway, which have to be settled at a summit.

Government officials say had the visit been made in early July as anticipated, the two countries would have upgraded their relations to a ``strategic alliance for the 21st century." The ongoing beef dispute, however, begs a question whether Seoul is really ready to become Washington's global strategic ally like, say, Britain, in the rest of the world shouldering heavy financial and military burdens. The answer can hardly be positive, considering their difference of views in various matters concerning even the U.S. forces stationing here.

All this seemed to start when President Lee Myung-bak vowed to restore the not so bad Korea-U.S. alliance upon taking office four months ago, which was also why Washington welcomed his election. It has now become apparent that the Korean President and his conservative supporters in America failed to take into account one thing ― the views of the majority of Koreans, particularly younger ones, on the bilateral relationship.

Besides Lee and his conservative allies, most Koreans regard the United States not so much as their savior and defender but as their equal ― if far larger ― partner. They don't see many reasons why Seoul should concede to Washington one-sidedly, whether it is on food safety or base relocation.

A case in point was the tragic accident involving the death of two schoolgirls six years ago which caused the first candlelight vigil. What triggered Koreans' rage was not the traffic accident itself but the two governments' handling of the situation.

In the beef import brawl, too, the two governments have snarled up what could have been solved far easier and quicker than it has been if they had just respected Koreans' justifiable concerns from the start. Now that the government has pushed ahead with an administrative notice, in large part pressurized by impatient U.S. officials, it may be simply a matter of time before the anti-governmental demonstrations become anti-U.S. protests.

President Bush might have not needed to put off his visit and might even have received a warm welcome from Koreans, had he recognized Korean consumerism in the spirit of an upgraded bilateral relationship and told his trade officials to make maximum efforts to supplement the deal. In this way, Washington may also have gained far more than the annual $800 million in beef exports to Korea.

The lessons of two U.S.-related episodes in 2002 and 2008 seems to be the same; any development of a situation unilaterally favorable to one side hurts the bilateral relationship in the long run. While most Koreans want a more horizontal relationship, some Americans are calling for troop pullout from an ungrateful country. Unless the two governments recognize and try to narrow this gulf in awareness between the two peoples, real alliance is hard to expect.

President Lee and his aides should be the first group to break out of their awareness on Korea-U.S. ties of three decades ago, whether they push again for Bush's visit in August or not.