President Park Geun-hye met with former U.S. President George W. Bush who visited Korea for the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul on March 3. They discussed the Seoul-Washington alliance and issues involving the Korean Peninsula. President Park received a copy of the recently published memoir of the former U.S. leader, “Decision Points.”

President Park congratulated him on the publication of the memoir and said that she was impressed by the book, in which President Bush highly praised the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance and valued it as an alliance in which the two nations shared common values and strategic interests.



“President Bush’s efforts to bolster the Korea-U.S. alliance served as the foundation of our relationship. The alliance has grown into a global partnership in which both Seoul and Washington, D.C., can work closely together on jointly responding to international issues, not only North Korean nuclear issues, but also issues surrounding Afghanistan and Iraq,” said President Park. She also emphasized that President Bush’s efforts helped conclude the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA), helped Korea join the U.S. visa waiver program, extended bilateral economic cooperation and expanded people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. 

"The relations between our two countries are vital. I'm confident that the current administration feels the same," said the former U.S. leader, praising President Park’s leadership.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr