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Chairman Henry Hyde of the U.S. House International Relations Committee visited Incheon Grand Park on the 11th. Chairman Hyde offered a tribute to General MacArthur’s statue and made a meaningful speech on the Korea-U.S. alliance.
Chairman Hyde said “With the success of landing operations at Incheon, General MacArthur and his army were able to save Koreans from iniquity.”
He commented there are people who consider the MacArthur era disapprovingly and others who argue that if it weren’t for those people Korea would have already re-united. However, Chairman Hyde asks the public “Must we sacrifice peace and prosperity for reunification? Does this mean we must forfeit freedom?”
A starving family with absolutely no intent on socializing with one another cannot be a happy family. If a family member is a person who protects the leader and renounces freedom, then you could not share ones joys and sorrows. As an old alliance, pain is felt in having to warn the Korean people of this forgotten knowledge.
In his speech, Chairman Hyde said that the U.S. was always with Korea whether during war or peace, and indebted of its prosperity. In addition, he again expressed his gratitude to the brave Korean people and the commands of General MacArthur who were able to obstruct communism in South Korea.
Why did Chairman Hyde visit Korea when he is just about to retire from politics? Was it to bid his farewell to his old Korean friends? Or rather, was it to confirm with his own eyes the developments made in Korea? On having witnessed the ‘Wonder of the Han River’ a result of 50 years of Korea-U.S. alliance, he would have undoubtedly felt that his decisions were in the end the correct choices. Also, he would have felt reassured that the tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the Korean peninsula were not in vain.
As one of the last U.S. politicians since World War 2, Chairman Hyde believes that standing by Korea is a political duty by the U.S. that will shine throughout history. Moreover, Chairman Hyde will be retiring from politics this November. His retirement as a politician in the U.S. National Assembly cannot be welcoming news to Koreans as he had protected the Korean peninsula through obligation and duty.
By this, he means taking preventative measures such as the increased role of the U.S. military in Korea, reduction of politics and voluntary war. In the U.S. there is no concept such as a ‘blood alliance.’ However, in referral to an alliance that has separated, it is inevitable that patience will be reduced.
He said that Korea only seeks the U.S. when it is experiencing difficulty and in need of help. He was saying this as a friend in regards to the previous actions of the Roh Moo Hyun government against the Korea-U.S. alliance.
President Roh who believes that a reduction of U.S. influence in an authoritarian North Korea is necessary, may feel the current Korea-U.S. alliance as subordinate. There may be feelings of antipathy against the U.S. where people utter ‘Can’t we say that the U.S. policy failed?’ ‘Must we always say “yes” to the U.S.’ In response to these utterances and to President Roh, Chairman Hyde sends these thoughts.
“Make new friends. However, stick by your old friends. New friends are like silver, whereas old friends are like gold.”
