2005 Van Fleet Award Honoree
GEORGE H.W. BUSH
41ST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The presidency of George H.W. 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.