Obama welcomed in S. Korea as trip nears end

November 19, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Treated to friendly roadside crowds and an elaborate welcome, President Barack Obama sped into the last round of his diplomacy tour in Asia today, a visit in South Korea.

Obama joined President Lee Myung-bak at the Blue House, South Korea’s version of the White House, where the U.S. leader took in spectacular views of the hills of Seoul on a chilly, gray morning. Obama stood on red-carpeted steps and looked out on military regiments in colorful garb and flagwaving children.

The leaders walked down to the sprawling manicured lawn, taking in the pageantry as Obama shook hands. It was symbolic of America’s ever-improving relations with South Korea, a crucial Asian ally.

“This was the most spectacular ceremony for a state visit we have been involved with,” Obama gushed as the two leaders began their meetings. Said Lee of Obama’s Asia trip: “You saved the best for last.”

The two men were meeting privately before they were scheduled to make formal statements. In brief comments before reporters, Obama praised the success of the South Korean economy, saying it was one reason why the nation has become an important player on the world stage.

A stalled trade agreement, though, still looms as a concern for the economic powerhouses.

Obama, winding up his weeklong Asian journey, was expected to emphasize the two nations’ unified efforts to prod a defiant North Korea out of its nuclear- weapons program. He’s also welcoming South Korea’s return to helping U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.

Strongly pro-U.S., Lee took office in South Korea in early 2008, a year before Obama, and relations between the two countries have been improving. The tenure of President George W. Bush had seen anti- American sentiments become more common here.

Not so much now. The South Korean president, for instance, was the first foreign leader in Obama’s presidency to get the honor of a joint appearance in the Rose Garden, in June.

A remaining sticking point has been trade. To South Korea’s dismay, a free-trade agreement that was signed in 2007 by the two governments under previous leaders has been stalled ever since in Congress.