President-Elect Joe Biden has kept close relations with S. Korean gov't for decades
- 3 years ago
바이든, 韓 대통령과 인연 깊어... DJ와 넥타이 바꿔 매고, 손녀와 DMZ 방문도
Joe Biden's career in politics goes back to the early 1970s when he became senator for the state of Delaware.
His ties to South Korea go back decades as well.
Choi Won-jong explains.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has been close to South Korea for decades.
Getting special attention are his relationships with former South Korean presidents, one of whom was the late Kim Dae-jung.
Their relationship began in the 1980s when Biden was a U.S. senator... and Kim had been exiled by the South Korean dictatorship of the time for his pro-democracy activities.
The Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library and Museum at Yonsei University has letters that the two exchanged during that time.
In one letter, Biden thanked Kim for sending him information on U.S. attitudes toward the building of a democratic Korea. "I appreciate your efforts," he said.
Nearly three decades later, in 2001, Biden visited Seoul as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and reunited with his old friend who had become South Korea's second democratically elected president.
"Good to see you again, Good to see you again. Thanks for seeing me."
Biden supported President Kim's so-called 'Sunshine Policy' which encouraged engagement with North Korea and economic assistance for the regime.
"Chairman Biden has consistently supported my 'Sunshine Policy' and expressed his willingness to do so before my departure. I am very grateful for you for your strong support to resolve issues on the Korean peninsula."
Famously at that meeting, Biden told him that he would have become president if he'd worn Kim's necktie.
The two exchanged ties, and Biden is said to have kept the tie since then without washing it.
Biden also sent condolences when Kim died in 2009.
Becoming U.S. Vice President in 2009 under Barack Obama, Biden continued to engage with South Korean leaders on Peninsula issues... and visited the War Memorial of Korea and the Demilitarized Zone.
On the last day of his last trip to the country, Biden and his granddaughter visited the DMZ together by helicopter.
Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.
Joe Biden's career in politics goes back to the early 1970s when he became senator for the state of Delaware.
His ties to South Korea go back decades as well.
Choi Won-jong explains.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has been close to South Korea for decades.
Getting special attention are his relationships with former South Korean presidents, one of whom was the late Kim Dae-jung.
Their relationship began in the 1980s when Biden was a U.S. senator... and Kim had been exiled by the South Korean dictatorship of the time for his pro-democracy activities.
The Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library and Museum at Yonsei University has letters that the two exchanged during that time.
In one letter, Biden thanked Kim for sending him information on U.S. attitudes toward the building of a democratic Korea. "I appreciate your efforts," he said.
Nearly three decades later, in 2001, Biden visited Seoul as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and reunited with his old friend who had become South Korea's second democratically elected president.
"Good to see you again, Good to see you again. Thanks for seeing me."
Biden supported President Kim's so-called 'Sunshine Policy' which encouraged engagement with North Korea and economic assistance for the regime.
"Chairman Biden has consistently supported my 'Sunshine Policy' and expressed his willingness to do so before my departure. I am very grateful for you for your strong support to resolve issues on the Korean peninsula."
Famously at that meeting, Biden told him that he would have become president if he'd worn Kim's necktie.
The two exchanged ties, and Biden is said to have kept the tie since then without washing it.
Biden also sent condolences when Kim died in 2009.
Becoming U.S. Vice President in 2009 under Barack Obama, Biden continued to engage with South Korean leaders on Peninsula issues... and visited the War Memorial of Korea and the Demilitarized Zone.
On the last day of his last trip to the country, Biden and his granddaughter visited the DMZ together by helicopter.
Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.