The two leaders reaffirmed that they were ready to engage in unconditional talks with the communist state anywhere at any time, urging North Korea to give its response without further delay. They also agreed that the North's weapons of mass destruction pose a threat to not only the Korean Peninsula, but the rest of the world as well. Kim and Bush stressed the need for cooperation between the two nations to make sure that such weapons aren't put in the hands of terrorist networks.

In addition President Mr Bush, for his part, expressed US backing for President Kim's sunshine policy of engaging North Korea saying it was vital for establishing lasting peace and stability in this part of the world.

In a joint news conference after the talks Bush said that neither the US nor South Korea were going to invade North Korea, and the USFK were defensive only. He added that his opinion of Kim Jong Il would not change until the North Korean leader gives him reason to, saying that Pyongyang had the responsibility to show the world it cared about its people. The US president expressed disappointment that the North had yet to respond to Kim's sunshine policy, which he supported.

Commenting on his "axis of evil" remark, Bush said he was referring to the non-transparent, isolated government that allowed its country to starve, not the North Korean people.

President Kim commended Bush's lead in the war against terrorism and pledged his utmost support as an ally.

Following their Cheong Wa Dae summit the Kim and Bush visited front-line units at the demilitarized zone and Dorasan Station the last stop before entering North Korea. President Bush was briefed about the 1976 murder of US officers at Panmunjom and commented that it was "No wonder I think they're evil." At Dorasan the two leaders reiterated their calls for the North to recommence talks with both the South and the US.

President Kim said Pyongyang should respond as soon as possible to the sincere requests for a resumption of dialogue.

The following is the text of the joint news conference:

President Kim Dae-jung: I would like to give my presentation. First, on behalf of the Korean people, I would like to warmly welcome President Bush and thank him for taking time out of the war against terrorism to visit our country. This visit is the first by President Bush since his inauguration, and it is also the first by an American President in the 21st century. It is for this reason that this visit will lay the foundation for future progress in Korean-U.S. relations in this century. During today's meeting, President Bush and I recognized that the Korea-U.S. alliance is indispensable not only for stability on the Korean Peninsula, but also in Northeast Asia as a whole. Furthermore, President Bush and I expressed satisfaction that the bilateral alliance is not limited to cooperation in security matters, but that the comprehensive partnership has expanded and developed to all areas, including political, economic and diplomatic arenas.

President Bush and I exchanged views about the war against terrorism and future course of action. I praised President Bush for the success in the war against terrorism under his outstanding leadership, and indicated that Korea as an ally would do its utmost to cooperate and provide full support. President Bush and I agreed to work with mutually consistent objectives and strategies in close consultation in pursuing the North Korean policy. I greatly appreciate President Bush's staunch support for our sunshine policy, as well as the U.S.'s unconditional proposal to dialogue with North Korea. President Bush and I also discussed in-depth issues related to the threat of WMD proliferation such as the possibility of terrorists obtaining WMDs, and U.S. efforts to deter their spread across the world. In this regard, we also concurred that the objective is to resolve the issue of North Korean WMDs and missiles at an early date through dialogue. To this end, we agreed that Korea-U.S. joint efforts were necessary.

President Bush and I concurred that continued expansion and progress of bilateral, economic and trade relations are in the interest of both our countries. Furthermore, we also agreed to further deepen cooperative relations at the multilateral level, such as the WTO -- development agenda. I am more than satisfied with the frank and open exchange of views I had with President Bush this morning on numerous issues. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to President Bush for the interest he has expressed in peace on the Korean Peninsula, for the unparalleled affection he has for Korea, as well as the efforts and enthusiasm he has demonstrated in the development of bilateral relations.

Thank you.

President Bush: Thank you, Mr. President. It is such an honor to be here. Laura and I are grateful for your hospitality and the hospitality of First Lady Hee-ho. We look forward to a full day in your beautiful country. The President is right, we had a great meeting. It was so good that we didn't want to go into the meeting room where there was more people. We had a very frank exchange. And that's important when you're friends, to be able to discuss issues in depth. A lot of times I find in the diplomatic world that people want to gloss over issues, they don't want to spend much time really understanding each other's positions. Because of our friendship, because of the friendship between our countries, we had a very frank exchange and a positive exchange, and one that allows me to safely say that this relationship is 50 years old, the relationship between South Korea and America. And it's seen a lot of problems, and we've dealt with those problems together. And I'm confident we'll be dealing with problems 50 years from now in a spirit of cooperation and openness.

I understand how important this relationship is to our country, and the United States is strongly committed to the security of South Korea. We'll honor our commitments. Make no mistake about it that we stand firm behind peace in the Peninsula. And no one should ever doubt that, Mr. President. No one should ever doubt that this is a vital commitment for our nation. It's also vital that we continue to trade together. And so we obviously discussed issues of the -- security issues on the Peninsula; we also discussed ways to make sure our trade was more open and fair to both sides. I'm very impressed by the amount of investment capital, foreign capital that has come into South Korea in the last four years. It's a testimony to a country that understands open markets and freedom. And I'm going up to the DMZ here in a little bit, and it's going to be an interesting contrast, to talk about the benefits and the dividends of freedom. And part of those is an economy that is vibrant and improving, thanks to structural reforms.

I assured the President we're doing everything we can in our country, as well, to make sure our economy recovers. It's hard to be a good trading partner if you don't have a good economy, and we're beginning to see signs that there's economic vitality in America, which will be good for our partners here in South Korea as well. And, of course, we talked about North Korea. And I made it very clear to the President that I support his sunshine policy. And I'm disappointed that the other side, the North Koreans, will not accept the spirit of the sunshine policy. We talked about family reunifications, the displaced family initiative that he started, which I think is a great initiative. And yet only 3,600 families, I believe it was, have been allowed to reunite. I asked him how many ?? what's the potential, what are the potential families on both sides of the DMZ that could reunite. He said, 10 million people. In order to make sure there's sunshine, there needs to be two people, two sides involved. And I praised the President's efforts. And I wonder out loud why the North Korean President won't accept the gesture of goodwill that the South Korean President has so rightfully offered. And I told him that we, too, would be happy to have a dialogue with the North Koreans. I've made that offer. And yet there has been no response.

Some in this country are ?? obviously have read about my very strong comments about the nature of the regime. And let me explain why I made the comments I did. I love freedom. I understand the importance of freedom in people's lives. I'm troubled by a regime that tolerates starvation. I worry about a regime that is closed and not transparent. I'm deeply concerned about the people of North Korea. And I believe that it is important for those of us who love freedom to stand strong for freedom and make it clear the benefits of freedom. And that's exactly why I said what I said about the North Korean regime. I know what can happen when people are free; I see it right here in South Korea. And I'm passionate on the subject, and I believe so strongly in the rights of the individual that I, Mr. President, will continue to speak out. Having said that, of course, as you and I discussed, we're more than willing to speak out publicly and speak out in private with the North Korean leadership. And, again, I wonder why they haven't taken up our offer.

This is going to be a great visit for us, Mr. President. It's going to be a great visit because it's a chance for me to say clearly to the South Korean people, we value our friendship, we appreciate your country, we share the same values and we'll work together to make sure that our relationship improves even better as we go into the 21st century.

Question (to President Kim by Chung Sang-won, MBC TV): I think that there are stark differences in view between the "sunshine policy" and the "axis of evil." Please tell us how much you think the gap in differences has been narrowed through your meeting today. And, the Korean people are very much concerned about how the inter-Korean relations will develop in the future. Please tell us, based on your meeting this morning, in what direction do you intend to lead the South-North relations in the future?

President Kim: My view is that there is no fundamental difference between the U.S. policy and ours. We both embrace democracy and a market-driven economy. And there is no disagreement over the fact that the alliance between Korea and the United States is essential in the national interests of our two countries and a primary task as well. And, of course, our position has always been that problems of weapons of mass destruction and missiles related to North Korea must be resolved. There have been no differences in view on the problems during the meeting today and we shared the view that these problems should be resolved through dialogue. Therefore, I would like to tell you that through today's dialogue with President Bush, press reports indicating that there existed differences between us have been completely cleared up.

With regard to our relationship with the North in the days ahead, I hope that North Korea, above anything else, would respond and agree to dialogue with the South and the United States. Together we have proposed dialogue today, while suggesting that all things be resolved through dialogue. At the same time, I hope that the ten-point agreement, including the reunion of separated families between South and North Korea, reconnection of the Seoul-Sinuiju Railway and overland Mount Kumgang tourism project, which were reached during the fifth inter-Korean ministerial talks on September 15 last year, would be carried out one by one, and I hope things would develop in that direction.

Mr. Fleischer: Mr. Jim Angle from Fox Television. Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, some South Koreans, perhaps even President Kim, had some concerns about your comments about the axis of evil and North Korea. How do you think your approach fits with and helps the sunshine policy? And if I may, President Kim, did you have any misgivings, sir, about the President including North Korea in the axis of evil? And, secondly, why do you think that North Korea is genuine about opening up? We have heard here about their failure to participate in the reunification of families. They haven't built their end of the rail line, and they refuse to talk to the U.S. What makes you think they're sincere in wanting to open up?

President Bush: You know, during our discussion, President Kim reminded me a little bit about American history, when he said that President Reagan referred to Russia as the "evil empire" -- and, yet, was then able to have constructive dialogue with Mr. Gorbachev. I will believe -- I will not change my opinion on the man, on Kim Jong-il until he frees his people and accepts genuine proposals from countries such as South Korea or the United States to dialogue; until he proves to the world that he's got a good heart, that he cares about the people that live in his country. I am concerned about a country that is not transparent, that allows for starvation, that develops weapons of mass destruction. I care very deeply about it because it is in the neighborhood of one of our very close friends. I don't see -- and so, therefore, I think the burden of proof is on the North Korean leader, to prove that he does truly care about people and that he is not going to threaten our neighbor.

We're peaceful people. We have no intention of invading North Korea. South Korea has no intention of attacking North Korea, nor does America. We're purely defensive. And the reason we have to be defensive is because there is a threatening position on the DMZ. But we long for peace. It is in our nation's interest that we achieve peace on the Peninsula. I also want to remind the world that our nation provides more food to the North Korean people than any nation in the world. We are averaging nearly 300,000 tons of food a year. And so, obviously, my comment about evil was toward a regime, toward a government -- not toward the North Korean people. We have great sympathy and empathy for the North Korean people. We want them to have food. And at the same time, we want them to have freedom. And we will work in a peaceful way to achieve that objective. That was the purpose of our summit today, to reconfirm that our nation -- my nation is interested in a peaceful resolution of the -- here on the Korean Peninsula. And at the same time, of course, I made it clear that we would honor our commitments to help South Korea defend herself, if need be.

QMr. Mike Allen, of The Washington Post. Q Mr. President, in Beijing, do you plan to meet with any political dissidents or Christian activists? How did you decide that? And what do you plan to do to try to persuade the Chinese government to extend more rights to these individuals?

President Bush: Mike, I am not exactly sure of all the details of my schedule yet, since I'm focused here on this incredibly important relationship. I can tell you that in my last visit with President Jiang I shared with him my faith. I talked to him on very personal terms about my Christian beliefs. I explained to him that faith had an incredibly important part in my life, and it has a very important part in the lives of all kinds of citizens, and that I would hope that he, as a President of a great nation, would understand the important role of religion in an individual's life. That's why I put it in that context. I then segued into discussions about the Catholic Church, and I will do so again -- I will bring up the need that there be a -- that I would hope the government would honor the request of the Papal Nuncio to be able at least have dialogue about bishops that are interned there. And I also talked about the Dalai Lama, as well as Christian faiths, and I will do so again. As to what my schedule is and who I'm going to see, I'm not sure yet, Mike.

Question (Chung Jai-yong of Yonhap News Agency): (To President Bush), Sir, you have stated in your speech that you have intentions to resume dialogue with North Korea. Please tell us concretely whether you are willing to provide economic assistance to North Korea if North Korea responds positively to the U.S. demand to resume dialogue. Also, tell us whether you have a plan to dispatch a special envoy to North Korea in order to convey firsthand your intentions to have dialogue with North Korea. (To President Kim Dae-jung) You said that you are satisfied with the results of the summit talk today. What would you say would be the most important outcome?

President Bush: Well, first, dialogue or no dialogue, we will continue to send food to the North Korean people. I reiterate, our issue is not with the North Korean people. As a matter of fact, we have great sympathy for the North Korean people. Any people that live under a despotic regime is -- has our sympathy. And so I presume that's the economic aid we're referring to. We will send food. As to how any dialogue were to begin, it obviously takes two willing parties. And as people in our government know, last June, I made the decision that we would extend the offer for dialogue. We just haven't heard a response back yet. And how we end up doing that is a matter of the diplomats. The great Secretary of State will be able to handle the details. But the offer stands, and if anybody's listening involved with the North Korean government, they know that the offer is real, and I reiterate it today.

President Kim: What I am most satisfied with out of the meeting with President Bush today is that we had talks with completely open-mind toward each other as closest allies and personal friends. As a result, we learned a lot from each other and developed a deep understanding about each other. I feel most contented about the fact that we exchanged ideas candidly without any reservations. Secondly, prior to the meeting with President Bush, I have stated that there were four issues, about which I would like to discuss with him, and they were all fulfilled. First, I wanted to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance. Secondly, in our efforts to carry out the anti-terror campaign, Korea and the U.S. should continue to cooperate to eradicate terrorism from all over the world. Third, we should solve the problems involving the North Korean missiles and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). I regard this as the most pressing issue for South Korea as it is closely related with our safety itself. Fourth, in addressing the pending issues including the North Korean missiles and WMD, it is important to solve the problems through dialogue. On these four issues, President Bush and I were in agreement. As you journalists have heard here, President Bush expressed his strong intentions to have dialogue and made it clear that he did not want war.

I believe that President Bush's remarks have helped to ease the concern that some Koreans may have had. In this context, I believe President Bush's visit to Korea would greatly help solidify the Korea-U.S. alliance and our common action toward North Korea. We also have exchanged ideas on various issues including the economic cooperation, the Winter Olympics and the World Cup soccer finals. There were some favorable ideas for cooperation between the two countries. These are the reasons I said that I am satisfied with the outcome of the talks.

The following is the text of an address by President Kim at Dorasan Station:

Your Excellency President Bush, ladies and gentlemen,

First and foremost, I am thankful from the bottom of my heart to President Bush and the U.S. delegation for having taken time to visit this Dorasan Railway Station after a long, tiring journey.

At this moment, we are standing at a railroad station. However, it is a station in name only; there is no hustle and bustle of passengers or cargo. This station is in deep sleep. That is because the train cannot pass over the truce line that lies a short distance ahead of us.

Right now, we are witnessing the last remnant of the Cold War. The stalled train engine as well as the cut and badly rusted rails symbolize the half-century of division of Korea into South and North. The sorrow of the Korean people permeates the air in this spot.

More than ten years ago, Germany achieved reunification, and in that place, the conflict between ideologies has already come to an end. Today, only the Korean Peninsula is still under the cloud of the anachronistic Cold War regime.

In an effort to put a period to the confrontation and instead bring about peace and prosperity on the peninsula, I have consistently carried out the Sunshine Policy of engaging North Korea. The aim of our Sunshine Policy is, above all, to realize peaceful coexistence and exchanges between the two Koreas on the strength of a firm national security stance. In this way, we can prepare for eventual peaceful unification.

So far, President Bush and the U.S. Government, along with all countries in the world, have extended active support for our Sunshine Policy. The Republic of Korea and the United States are blood allies that have defended the peace and freedom of this land side by side for the past 50 years. I am immensely grateful for the cooperation and contributions that the U.S. Government has made to the peace and security of the Republic and the peninsula. Here at Dorasan Station, a stone's throw from the Military Demarcation Line, I declare that this staunch Korea-U.S. cooperation will continue without any wavering.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is a bright side to this Dorasan Station, however. If this railway is extended by only 14 kilometers northward, the two Koreas will be reconnected on a land route. That means a train that has left Busan will be able to travel all the way to Pyongyang and the Yalu River in the North. Then tensions between the South and the North will diminish substantially, and people-to-people and commodity exchanges will increase dramatically. I hope that the railway will open at the earliest possible date so the ten million separated family members will be able to visit their relatives and hometowns on the other side.

That is not all. The train will be able to continue to China, Siberia, Central Asia and finally to Europe. When that day comes, this Republic, which has remained a virtual island, will be linked to all of Eurasia and promises to emerge as a distribution hub connecting the continent and the Pacific Ocean.

The relinking of the South-North railway is important not only for improving inter-Korean relations but also for our economic prosperity in the future. With the deep interest and cooperation of President Bush, the Korean nation expects to realize its wishes in the near future.

Mr. President, you have led the world's march toward peace and security through your counter-terrorism campaign, and I expect that you will also be remembered forever in the hearts of the Korean people as a leader who played a decisive role in settling peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Finally, I earnestly hope that the North Korean authorities will soon respond to our sincere proposal for the dialogue.

Thank you very much.

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