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ISTANBUL -- President Roh Moo-hyun on Sunday attempted to calm fears of a rift between Korea and the U.S., telling Korean residents in this Turkish economic center the allies' relationship was changing "little by little" and Korea was making its voice heard more.
The chief executive made the remarks in apparent reference to the National Security Council's plan to suspend negotiations with the U.S. military on a fresh operational plan for five contingencies in North Korea, dubbed OPLAN 5029.
"Somewhat embarrassing remarks are sometimes exchanged between working-level officials" from Washington and Seoul, Roh said. "Whereas politicians and senior leaders accommodate world trends and make political judgments, working-level officials are apt to regard the flow and changes of the times as inconveniences."
Roh added there was nothing abnormal about the Korea-U.S. alliance, which he reiterated was being "managed satisfactorily."
The president expressed irritation with Korean intellectuals concerned about a possible rupture in the alliance. "Some considerably knowledgeable people express views that are more pro-American than the Americans.' I find such people most difficult to deal with," he said. "Koreans should think and judge like Koreans."
Roh said Korea had overcome both the 1987 financial crisis and the 2003 recession. "Some maintain we haven't, but in my view both of them have been overcome.Ħħ Roh said.
He received some support from the head of macroeconomics at the state-run Korea Development Institute, Cho Dong-chol. "The overall economy is nearing the end of a downtrend. Chances are that business hit rock bottom in March at the earliest, or will pass the lowest point during the second quarter at the latest," Cho said.
Roh returns home on Monday.
(Shin Jung-rok, jrshin@chosun.com )
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