Obama touts South Korea deal

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama hailed a just-completed trade deal with South Korea yesterday as he welcomed President Lee Myung-bak to the White House, offering warm praise for a solid ally in a world in flux.

At a joint news conference with Lee, Obama said that the long-delayed trade pact approved late Wednesday by Congress is "a win for both our countries," and that he and Lee had agreed to move forward with it quickly.

Obama said the deal would increase U.S. exports by $11 billion and support 70,000 jobs, while opening Korea's market to U.S. goods. Alluding to an issue that held up the deal, Obama said, "I'm very pleased it will help level the playing field for American automakers." Obama was scheduled to take Lee with him to the Detroit area today to tour a General Motors plant.

Lee said the trade deal, which still requires approval from South Korea's legislature, "will mark a turning point in the enduring alliance between our two nations" and called it "a historic achievement that will become a significant milestone."

Lee's state visit, began yesterday morning with an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn. The state dinner later, the Obama administration's fifth such gala, featured a four-course, fall harvest feast using vegetables and herbs from the White House garden. Guests dined on butternut squash bisque, a salad featuring daikon sheets and masago rice pearl crispies in a nod to Korean traditions, wagyu beef from Texas and chocolate cake served with a blend of Korean and American pears.

The entertainment lineup mixed East and West: The Ahn trio, three sisters born in Seoul and reared in New York who play piano, violin and cello, and Grammy winning singer-songwriter Janelle Monae, from Kansas City, Kan.