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President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday pitched into the debate about a statue of U.S. general Douglas MacArthur in Incheon¡¯s Freedom Park, saying the 1950 Incheon Landing led by the general, a turning point in the Korean War and the monument ¡°are part of our history.¡± Roh made the remark at a meeting with Korean residents in New York at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan.
¡°We should leave the statue as it is, and respect it for its place in history,¡± he said. ¡°We have to remember the bad things as being bad and remember the good things as being good.¡± He said the important thing was ¡°that since we are a sovereign independent nation, from now on we must take full responsibility and cooperate with each other with mutual respect.¡±
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President Roh Moo-hyun speaks to Korean residents of New York at a gathering at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan on Tuesday./Yonhap
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He said some hoped for ¡°a quicker change in the Korean-American relationship, but the important thing is for us to move ahead in a controlled manner based on consensus.¡± He also urged fellow Koreans not to insult others simply because they have divergent views and interpretations of history and ¡°proceed with what must be done with calmness and presence of mind.¡±
Regarding North Korea¡¯s nuclear program, he said, ¡°The issues are addressed at six-party talks in Beijing.¡± The talks have been progressing little by little and with great difficulty, ¡°but things are headed in a positive direction which gives us hope, so I do not think anyone wants to foul this up,¡± he said.
Turning to the inter-Korean relationship, the president said the fact that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young was in Pyongyang talking about peaceful relations with the North ¡°suggests that there has been a lot of progress between the two sides, even though it takes a long time to get results."
Roh said he ¡°worried¡± about the Korea-U.S. alliance when he first took office, ¡°but now the relationship between the two countries is going well¡ŠIt's important where we are now, but what's more important is how we have changed from 10 or five years ago and which direction the changes are taking as the relationship between the two countries gradually moves toward one based on the mutual cooperation.¡±
He added, "I am not suggesting abrupt change. We have to take our time and plan to achieve a relationship of mutual respect and close cooperation with the U.S. Above all, we have to go in the direction that secures the Korean people's safety and prosperity."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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