hankyoreh

President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama had their first of what will surely be many telephone conversations on November 7.

Blue House spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said that the 12-minute conversation began at 7:17 a.m. and that the two men discussed concerns such as strengthening ties and working together on the North Korean nuclear issue.

According to Lee Dong-kwan, Obama telephoned Lee and said that relations between Korea and the United States are close, but that he wanted relations to be “stronger,” and that a “stronger alliance will be a cornerstone of peace and stability in Asia.”

The Blue House spokesman said Obama told Lee that he would like the alliance to be stronger “for economic and security relations” between the two countries, and that Seoul and Washington “should work closely together to resolve the financial crisis we face and the North Korean nuclear issue.”

In response, Lee told Obama that the world is facing challenges in a variety of areas, from the financial crisis to problems in areas such as energy, natural resources, the environment, and poverty, and that he “wholly agrees with President-elect Obama’s view that these are things that should be resolved through an international partnership.” He also told Obama that he wanted to work with him to “develop the traditional alliance into a strategic alliance for the 21st century.”

Lee began the call by offering his congratulations and saying it is his understanding that the American people have high expectations for his presidency, to which Obama is said to have responded by saying he “truly respects Korea and the Korean people” and that he “would like to borrow from your wisdom and knowledge as we work together.” Obama also said he hopes the two have the opportunity to meet soon.

During the brief conversation the two leaders also spoke about their personal histories. And when Lee told the American interpreter that they did not need to interpret Obama’s English, Obama said he only knows how to say the Korean greeting “Annyeong haseyo,” making Lee’s English “far better” than his Korean.

The call was formally a response to the congratulatory letter Lee sent Obama on November 5. Stephanie Cutter, the official spokesperson for Obama’s transition team, said that on the same day Obama spoke with Lee, he also had phone conversations with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, and five other world leaders.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]