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2005 VAN FLEET AWARD
GEORGE
H.W. BUSH
41st President of the
United States of America
presented by
ROH MOO-HYUN
President of the Republic of Korea
CITATION
The presidency of George Bush, from 1989 to 1993,
remains the high
point of the
U.S.-Korea alliance that dates from the Korean War.
From the early months of his
term in office, President Bush worked creatively to support South Korea's policy of "Nordpolitic," which was
designed to pave the way toward better relations between North and South Korea by establishing diplomatic relations with the Soviet
Union, China, and the countries of Eastern Europe.
In 1990, after the collapse
of the Soviet Union the previous year, President Bush arranged a meeting
between South Korean President Roh Tae Woo and Mikhail
Gorbachev in San Francisco that paved the way for the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Moscow and Seoul the following year.
Using his vast Chinese
experience, President Bush encouraged China to recognize South Korea, which it did in 1992. President Bush also urged the
Chinese to drop their long-standing opposition to membership in the United
Nations for South Korea. Today, both North and South Korea are United Nations members of long standing.
In military matters,
President Bush was equally adroit in supporting "Nordpolitic."
Strategic weapons deployments, and annual, large-scale training exercises were
modified in close coordination with Seoul's outreach to Pyongyang. The result was the signing of two North-South
agreements at the end of 1991 that remain as a blueprint for a stable Korean
Peninsula in the post-nuclear age.
Today, as the U.S.-Korea
alliance continues to grow and prosper in a new century, President Bush is
still remembered with great respect and affection by the Korean people for all
that he contributed to this key relationship during his presidency.
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