Bush says Trump should lead international efforts to tackle N.K. security threats

By Chang Jae-soon WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- The incoming U.S. administration of Donald Trump shouldn't turn away from North Korea's security threats and must lead international efforts to address the challenge, former President George W. Bush said Tuesday. Bush made the remark during a forum on North Korea that his George W. Bush Institute has hosted every year, saying the communist nation represents a grave security threat and there is no way to "detach ourselves from events in East Asia." "This country is about to have a new administration, which of course has every right to choose its own direction. They can take advice or not, but there is one option that can't be chosen — the option of drifting, because that current would lead to disaster," Bush said during the forum held in Dallas and live-streamed online. "Denial provides only the shallow and temporary illusion of security, and leadership on this matter cannot be delegated to others. A successful response will require unprecedented global cooperation but it can only be led by one country —- the United States," he said. North Korea shows how the proliferation of a deadly technology can allow small leaders to threaten and disrupt the world on a grand scale, Bush said, adding that with every successful missile test, the reach of great danger advances from Seoul to Tokyo to across the great Pacific. "There's no easy policy solutions, but any serious response must begin by accepting reality: there is no way to detach ourselves from events in East Asia. Our future and the future of that region are closely linked. Eventually, there is no isolation from proliferation, no safety in distance," he said. Trump's isolationist campaign rhetoric spurred concern that his election might lead to a weakening of the U.S. commitment to tackle the North Korean problem and defend South Korea and other allies in the region. In an April campaign speech, Trump once said, "Good luck. Enjoy yourself, folks," referring to possible hostilities between the North and its neighbors. Bush also said the North presents the "greatest sustained humanitarian challenge of our time," comparing the totalitarian nation to "a prison run by a sadistic warden." He also said the security and humanitarian challenges are closely linked. "The threat we face arises out of the nature of the North Korean regime itself. The lesson of history is clear. A country that does not respect the rights of its people will not respect the rights of its neighbors," he said. "The promotion of human dignity is not a distraction from security policy. It is a distinct advantage in pursuing that policy." jschang@yna.co.kr (END)