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The
Heritage Foundation
Defending
Freedom in North Korea's Shadow
To
lead the nation always under threat from
North Korea, backbone is required. As the president of South Korea has
demonstrated over her past two days in Washington, she is a vital
figure at
this time in history.
Park
Geun-hye has been referred to as the
"Iron Lady of Korea." It is a fitting moniker since it honors not
only her, but also Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Two principled
leaders,
reaching out to others but willing to risk criticism to achieve a bold
vision
for their country. As Lady Thatcher observed, "Consensus is the absence
of
leadership."
The
U.S. and South Korea have stood together
for 60 years. Repeatedly during her visit, Park affirmed the continuing
need
for the alliance that has kept peace on the Korean Peninsula for
decades.
Although Pyongyang may have toned down its threats of the past two
months, the
military threat remains. North Korea's million-man army remains poised
near the
demilitarized zone, and the regime continues expanding its nuclear and
missile
arsenal.
The
allied effort responding to the North
Korean invasion in 1950 provided the shield that saved South Korea and
enabled
it to develop into a vibrant democracy embracing free-market
principles. Today,
despite its relatively small population of 50 million people, South
Korea is
America's seventh largest trading partner. The economic partnership was
further
strengthened last year with the passage of the Korea–U.S. (KORUS) Free
Trade Agreement.
This
is her first visit to Washington as
president. At the Korean War Memorial, she expressed on behalf of her
nation
"our profound gratitude to America's veterans. Their blood, sweat and
tears helped safeguard freedom and democracy."
President
Park commented how moved she was by
the words etched in granite at the memorial: "Our nation honors her
sons
and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew
and a
people they never met." At a dinner celebrating the alliance, Park
honored
U.S. veterans, speaking eloquently of how "freedom is not free…peace is
not free."
For
more of this story, go to Heritage
Foundation
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