Seoul regretful about Obama's short stop

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- In contrast to the tough summits he faced in China and Japan, U.S. President Barack Obama perhaps felt more at ease during his meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday, reflecting bilateral relations that are on an upswing.

There were no major anti-American protests such as those that swept South Korea whenever Obama's predecessor George W. Bush traveled to Seoul. Only a few dozen anti-war activists gathered in bustling downtown Seoul to protest South Korea's plan to dispatch troops to Afghanistan to help the U.S.-led mission in the war-torn country.

But they were overwhelmed by thousands of citizens who held pro-American rallies in which they waved U.S. and South Korean flags, yelling, "Welcome, Obama, U.S.A." Some 3,000 people lined the streets near the U.S. Embassy as Obama's motorcade passed en route to the presidential house to meet Lee.

Some 13,000 police and soldiers were deployed to guard the U.S. president but the crowds were mostly supportive, many holding placards reading "We love Obama" and "We support strong U.S.-Korea alliance."

At the start of the summit, Obama thanked the South Koreans for their hospitality, saying, "Let me just say we have been so gratified by the warm welcome by which we were received here in the Republic of Korea. I think that has every indication that our alliance is strong."

Standing beside Lee at a news conference at the end of the one-hour meeting, Obama again said the U.S. alliance with South Korea "has never been stronger." The United States has an "economic and strategic interest" in expanding ties with Seoul, he said.

It is the first South Korea visit by Obama, who ended his Asia tour in Seoul after trips to China, Japan and Singapore for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. He headed to the United States Thursday after visiting a U.S. military base in the South where some 28,500 troops are stationed under a defense treaty, as a deterrent against North Korea.

But Obama's brief stop in Seoul -- less than 22 hours -- left a sense of regret to South Korean government officials and businesses who wanted closer coordination with the United States on the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile drive and a long-stalled free trade accord.

During his four-day stay in China, Obama made his first public appearance in the country by holding a town hall meeting with college students in Shanghai. Ahead of the town hall meeting, Obama held talks with Shanghai's mayor before flying to Beijing for a full state visit hosted by President Hu Jintao.

In Tokyo, Obama made a public speech apart from summit talks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and a meeting with Japanese Emperor Akihito.

But in Seoul, the meeting with Lee was the sole event with South Koreans.

Seoul's security officials had hoped Obama would travel to the border area with the North to call for North Korea to tear down the last remaining Cold War wall and emerge from its isolationist shell. In early 2002, Bush traveled to the South's border station of Dorasan to urge the North to move toward peace and disarmament.

Conservative opposition leader Lee Hoi-chang, who campaigns for a tougher stance against the North, said he was "disappointed" at Obama's short stop in Seoul, which he said shows the United States is treating South Korea "lightly."

"President Obama's Asian trip was heavily focused on China and his brief stop in Seoul created a sense of pity, particularly at a time when tensions are mounting on the peninsula over North Korea's nuclear drive and military provocations," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul.

Last week, the intrusion by a patrol boat from the North into the South's territorial waters led to an exchange of naval gunfire, in a reminder that the divided peninsula is still the world's last Cold War flash point.

The violation of the sea border was believed to be a calculated move to raise military tensions on the peninsula ahead of Obama's Seoul trip and put pressure on the United States to accept Pyongyang's longstanding call for a peace treaty, which could lead to a withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea.

"Though his Seoul trip was short, President Obama offered a clearer message by officially announcing a plan to send his envoy to Pyongyang to meet its desire for high-level personal contact," Kim said.

At the news conference Obama said Stephen Bosworth, special U.S. representative for North Korea policy, will visit Pyongyang on Dec. 8 for bilateral talks, as part of efforts to get North Korea back to multilateral nuclear disarmament talks.

"Our message is clear. If North Korea is prepared to take concrete and irreversible steps to fulfill its obligations and eliminate its nuclear weapons program, the United States will support economic assistance and help promote its full integration into the community of nations," Obama said.

Obama and Lee said they agreed to push for the ratification of a free-trade agreement between the two countries. The two sides signed a free-trade accord in June 2007 after 10 months of negotiations but it is still awaiting ratification by both countries' legislatures.

The Obama administration has vowed to seek renegotiation of the deal signed by the Bush administration, citing an imbalance in auto trade and restrictions on beef shipments.

"Overall I think it's a potential good deal for U.S. exporters. But there's certain sectors of the economy that aren't dealt with as effectively," Obama said.

Seoul's trade officials were embarrassed by the demand for renegotiation. They said a longer stay in Seoul by the U.S. president could help ease the trade dispute.