Roh, N Korea blast US and Japan

President Roh Moo-hyun called yesterday for a foreign policy more independent of the US and criticized Japan for its militaristic past in comments targeting his country's two biggest allies in the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Giving a nationally televised address marking Korea's March 1, 1919, uprising against Japanese colonial rule, Roh dismissed criticism that his foreign policy has fueled anti-Americanism among young South Koreans.

"Let's not talk about whether we are pro-American or anti-American," Roh said to rousing applause. "Whether we are pro-US or anti-US cannot be the yardstick to assess ourselves."

"Step by step, we should strengthen our independence and build our strength as an independent nation."

Roh's call to lessen reliance on the US in foreign policy and security against North Korea came two days after six-nation talks ended in Beijing without major breakthroughs on how to end the crisis over the communist North's nuclear weapons programs.

Roh hailed a recent US-South Korea agreement to pull US troops out of the Yongsan district of central Seoul, reminding people that Yongsan has been occupied by foreign forces for more than a century and calling the area "a symbol of foreign intervention, invasion and dependence." The 7,000 US troops and family members there are scheduled to move to bases further south by 2006.

Roh described North Korea as a country that is "difficult to explain and defies common sense in many aspects," but "part of the Korean nation that we must embrace and eventually have to take care of."

"Let's try to open our door with warm hearts and solve problems [with the North] through dialogue," he said.

Roh then criticized Japanese leaders, saying he has a "piece of advice to give them" about what many South Koreans say is Japan's failure to repent for its often brutal 1910 to 1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

"Just because we don't mention the unresolved problems, that doesn't mean that they should think all those problems have been resolved," Roh said to an ovation.

"It may be understandable that some senseless Japanese people and one or two Japanese politicians bent on popularity say things that hurt our people, but at least the national leaders should not do that," Roh said.

Roh did not cite Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi by name, but his comments followed Koizumi's New Year's Day visit to a controversial shrine honoring his nation's war dead, including convicted war criminals.

Roh, a former human rights lawyer, has espoused more independence from the US, a traditional ally that led UN forces to defend South Korea during the 1950 to 1953 Korean War.

While campaigning for president, Roh said he would not "kowtow" to Washington. The message resonated with the country's young postwar generations and helped Roh into office.