President Kim Dae-jung said Thursday that the Korea-US alliance is a principle of state policy in the interest of the nation's existence, adding that the two countries have been and would be cooperating on North Korean relations in the future.

During a meeting with US Asia Pacific Commander Admiral Dennis Blair, President Kim emphasized that the two countries have resolved differences by dialogue and Koreans are very interested in President George W. Bush's Seoul visit. Kim continued that US forces' presence in Korea is an important element for maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula, stressing that the USFK will continue to be stationed in the country after the unification.

Crediting the tight diplomatic and economic cooperation between the two countries based on joint defense system for the peace and stability on the peninsula, Kim said that in addition to Korea-US-Japanese trilateral alliance, cooperation with Russia and China is a must to maintain peace in the Asian Pacific region.

Admiral Dennis Blair said that while this is President Bush's first Korean visit, he will learn a great deal by witnessing the country's achievements in economic development and its military status, as many had done so in the past.

(Kim Min-bae, baibai@chosun.com )