President Lee warmly welcomes his ex-U.S. counterpart Bush

SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak warmly welcomed
visiting former U.S. President George W. Bush Sunday and thanked him for his
efforts to strengthen the alliance between the two countries during his term of
office, Lee's office said.
Lee flew to the southern resort island of Jeju Saturday afternoon to meet Bush,
who had arrived there a few hours earlier to speak at an economic forum organized
by the Federation of Korean Industries, the largest South Korean lobby group.
Lee and Bush had dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday and they also took a
walk near Bush's seaside hotel, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa
Dae. It was their first meeting in nine months.
The two leaders have reportedly developed close personal ties when Bush was in
office, which some analysts say helped dispel public anxiety in South Korea over
the health of the two countries' alliance.
Bush was often at odds with his liberal South Korean counterparts _ Kim Dae-jung
and Roh Moo-hyun _ over how to deal with North Korea.
Less than two months after his inauguration in February 2008, Lee visited Camp
David, a presidential retreat on the outskirts of Washington, for a summit with
Bush. They even took a ride on a golf cart there in front of photographers and
television crew from the two nations.
North Korea's troublesome nuclear programs took center stage when the two leaders
met while in office, but this time, they mostly exchanged well-wishing remarks on
health and other personal matters, Cheong Wa Dae said.
"President Lee told former U.S. President Bush that he looks so healthy," Cheong
Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.
Bush responded by saying that his good health may be because he feels
light-hearted as he has been relieved from heavy dutiful burdens following his
retirement.
Bush told Lee that he wants to spend the rest of his life promoting the values of
freedom and democracy, the spokeswoman said, adding that he also explained about
his plan to set up a library and a research center for that goal.
Bush called Lee a "strong leader" and praised his decision to donate the bulk of
his personal wealth to charity, Kim said.
Lee, born in a poor rural family and having paid his way through university to
become a construction company CEO, announced last month that he will donate 33.2
billion won (US$26.2 million) to establish a scholarship foundation for students
in need, a decision that fulfills his campaign pledge.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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