Bush Blamed By Soros for Korea A-Bomb
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SEOUL, South Korea — Billionaire investor George Soros yesterday blamed President Bush for escalating tensions with North Korea, which tested a nuclear bomb for the first time on October 9.
Mr. Bush shouldn’t have labeled North Korea part of an “axis of evil,” Mr. Soros told a group of investors and academics in Seoul. The president “aggravated the problem” by rejecting South Korea’s so-called “sunshine policy” of engaging with the North, Mr. Soros said.
North Korea drew international condemnation after last week’s test, and the U.N. Security Council banned the sale or transfer of arms and nuclear-related materials to the communist country. China, South Korea, and America have been cooperating in their handling of the crisis, and their desire for stability on the Korean peninsula bodes well, Mr. Soros said.
“Chinese want stability or no change. South Korea, the same,” Mr. Soros said. “The United States, having lots of problems elsewhere, wants to keep this under wraps.”
Mr. Bush labeled North Korea, Iraq, and Iran an “axis of evil” in January 2002. America subsequently invaded Iraq, where more than 2,700 American military personnel have been killed along with thousands of Iraqi civilians, and the country has been pressing for international action to reign in Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program.
North Korea has isolated its citizens for almost 60 years, first under Kim Il Sung and then under his son, Kim Jong Il, who has ruled since 1994. The atomic test followed the July 5 test-flight of seven missiles, including the Taepodong-2, which American officials have said may be able to reach Alaska.
The Hungarian-born Mr. Soros is a long-standing critic of the Bush administration and spent $27.5 million trying to defeat the president in the 2004 election. Last month he said Mr. Bush’s war on terror is “misleading, counterproductive, and destructive” because it creates innocent victims and spurs the rage and resentment that fuels more terrorism.
South Korea’s financial markets won’t be much affected by the crisis, Mr. Soros said. “It’s nothing new. The nuclear test is an act of desperation.”
