Through diplomatic channels, the US has Apologized to Korea ™ for informing the media of the date of President Bush’s return visit to Korea without telling the Korean side first, reports Yonhap.
In a July 1 (US time) briefing, NSC Asia chief Dennis Wilder told reporters that Bush planned to meet with President Lee Myung-bak at the G8 summit in Tokyo on July 7—9, and that this would be an opportunity to set up the basis for Bush’s return visit to Korea, scheduled for August 5—6.
Woops!
A diplomatic source told Yonhap that while the two sides had agreed in principle that Bush would visit around the time of the Beijing Olympic games, no fixed date had been decided on.
At any rate, it’s usually the inviting country that makes the announcement first (unless it’s jointly announced). Another diplomatic source said it seemed Wilder accidentally revealed Bush’s schedule, but Yonhap notes that it was the US side rather than the Korean side that announced Bush’s cancellation of his July visit to Korea, and that in some quarters, people were wondering if this string of diplomatic lapses of etiquette was the American way of expressing displeasure of the US beef mess in Korea.
Note to Yonhap: I could only dream of my government having the balls. Or the competence.
2 Comments
If Bush’s trip to S. Korea does materialize, it’s obvious to everyone and his dog there will be huge street demonstrations, perhaps on a scale not seen since 1987. So maybe he’ll take a side trip to Pyongyang first, meet with the “loathable” KJI, sign a few meaningless documents. The October Surprise one month early, and three months before the presidential election.
How ’bout Cheney comes and shoots a protest organizer in the face?