Last week's testy public exchange between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush could foreshadow continued security tensions between Washington and Seoul even as the negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program move towards a denouement. Bush and Roh held a one-hour private meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Sydney, Australia. Afterwards, they conducted a joint media appearance. Both leaders delivered formal statements to reporters outlining their assessment of the situation on the Korean Peninsula. In his subsequent comments, Roh remarked that he had not heard Bush explicitly affirm in his statement Washington's commitment to formally cease the 1950-53 Korean War. "I think I might be wrong -- I think I did not hear President Bush mention the -- a declaration to end the Korean War just now." Roh said through an interpreter. "Did you say so, President Bush?"
Bush-Roh Confrontation Underscores Korean Peace Problems
