By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Wednesday's summit between President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush is considered to have laid the foundation for a stronger and broader bilateral alliance.
In their third summit since the pro-U.S. Lee administration took office in February, the two leaders pledged firm efforts to upgrade their half-century alliance to a ``strategic and future-oriented structure'' far beyond security and politics.
``The security environment is changing very rapidly, and there's a need for the Korea-U.S. alliance to adapt to these changes,'' Lee said in a joint news conference at his presidential office after the summit.
``With this in mind, President Bush and I agreed that not only must we strengthen the military and security aspects of our alliance, but also expand our alliance so that it encompasses the political, economic, social and cultural aspects as well.''
Seoul and Washington will join forces to deal with global challenges such as international peacekeeping operations, terrorism, climate change and non-proliferation, said Lee.
Bush echoed Lee's views on the development of the bilateral alliance.
``Alliances aren't stagnant; they've got to constantly reassess. And that's what we're doing in a way that will not only help defend the freedom here on the Korean Peninsula, but also will help us meet the challenges of a new century,'' he said.
A case in point for the broader alliance is the agreement on a student internship program reached during the Lee-Bush summit.
Under the Work, English Study and Travel (WEST) program, up to 5,000 South Korean university students can go to the United States to study English and get internships for 18 months as early as next year.
WEST is an expansion of the Work and Travel program operated by Washington, in which international students can enter the United States for up to four months during their vacations and work.
More than 1,700 South Korean students took part in the program last year alone, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul.
South Korea will be the first to benefit from the WEST program, which is expected to help promote understanding and friendship between the young peoples of the two nations, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said.
``Since it's a reciprocal program, more American students will be allowed to enter South Korea to study and work,'' he added. ``A related memorandum of understanding will be signed after further consultations.''
Washington is also pushing ahead with Seoul's inclusion in the U.S. visa waiver program. The waiver will allow South Koreans to stay in the United States for up to 90 days without visas.
``We're working to speed your entry into the visa waiver program,'' Bush said in the joint news conference. ``The idea is to get it done by the end of this year. I think people are optimistic about that.''
Lee and Bush also agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation in space and aeronautics by promoting joint space exploration, development of scientific research satellites, and Korea's participation in the U.S.-led International Lunar Network project.
``Today's summit has proved how the bilateral alliance works based on the shared values of free democracy and market economy,'' presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told reporters.