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American Morning

Bush Heads to China

Aired February 20, 2002 - 08:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, President Bush heads to China after a pivotal trip to South Korea. The president visited U.S. troops stationed along the demilitarized zone, which separates the two Koreas. And standing today with the South Korean President, Kim Dae-jung, President Bush indicated while he still regards North Korea as evil, he was open to resuming dialog with the communist country and hoped one day the peninsula will be united in commerce and transportation, instead of divided by barbed wire and fear.

John King is traveling with the president. He joins us now from Seoul with an update.

Good morning, John.

I know evening has fallen there.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Evening here in Seoul, Paula. And the South Koreans wanted two things most of all from this trip here by President Bush. Number one, they wanted a public embrace of the so-called Sunshine policy toward the North of the South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. And they wanted Mr. Bush to not repeat at all the use of the word evil, a word he used in the State of the Union address and several times since to describe his views of North Korea.

At the end of this day of delicate diplomacy, a mixed bag, if you will, and if you're keeping score from the South Korean standpoint. Mr. Bush did deliver a very public and effusive praise of the Sunshine policy and there were pictures to back up his words. The two presidents visiting the Dorasan Rail Station. President Kim trying to increase economic and cultural ties between south and north by extending a railway and roads up across the demilitarized zone.

The two leaders signed a tie committing themselves to the reunification -- the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. But those railway tracks stopped just south of the DMZ. The North has not completed the tracks on its side. Mr. Bush in a speech at the train station said he hoped for peace or reunification. He embraced President Kim's approach to the North. But he also made clear that he considered the regime to the North despotic.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No Korean should be treated as a cog in the machinery of the state. And as I stated before the American Congress just a few weeks ago, we must not permit the most -- the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most dangerous weapons. I speak of these -- for these convictions, even as we hope for dialog with the North.

KING: And more tough talk from the president as he toured what many call the last frontier of the Cold War, the demilitarized zone. It is 2.5 miles wide, 151 miles across. Still separating north from south 50 years after the end of the Korean War. Mr. Bush using binoculars to look across to the North. And as he was looking, a military officer told him the story.

Just on the other side of the DMZ a North Korean peace museum. Hanging on display in that museum, two axes used to kill two U.S. servicemen who were patrolling the DMZ back in 1976. Mr. Bush recounted that story to the reporters traveling with him and said, "No wonder I consider them evil."

So more tough talk from the president today during his tour up there at the DMZ. He moves on to China next. Here in South Korea, still some concerns that the president's tough talk about the North -- even though Mr. Bush says he is open to negotiations -- will keep the North Korean government reluctant to sit down for those talks Mr. Bush and the South Koreans very much would like to have -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right, John. We know you're going to continue to travel with the president. We look forward to more of your reports. Thanks.

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