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Peeling the Onion. A man of severe personal austerity (he drives an aging Dodge, sleeps only five hours a night), Park has as his administration's motto, "Seeing is believing." To that end, he travels frequently through the countryside, sharing rice wine and kimchi—the garlic-laden pickled cabbage of Korea —with farmers who still live and labor much as they did centuries ago. No gladhander, he adopts a professional role in explaining his aims to the people. The current goal: ratification of a Korean-Japanese treaty (TIME, April 2) that would normalize relations between the two antagonistic neighbors for the first time in this century.
Deep undercurrents of animosity remain from Japan's 35-year colonial repression of Korea, and Opposition Leader Po Sun Yun is trying to capitalize on it by charging Park with "a sellout policy with too many concessions." Although the treaty does concede to Japan access to rich fishing waters inside the former limit set by Syngman Rhee, it also provides for Japanese payment of $300 million in reparations, $200 million in longterm, low-interest loans—and the promise of vast new markets that may do much to ease South Korea's 10% unemployment. Yet, to many Koreans who fear Japanese economic domination, the treaty sounds dangerous. "Negotiating with the Japanese is like peeling a green onion," said one Korean recently. "You never know what's there until it's all gone."
Park is counting heavily on the Washington visit, and the prestige it will generate, to help pass the treaty. And Lyndon Johnson seems willing to help: he sent Protocol Chief Lloyd Hand in a presidential jet to pick up Park in Seoul. More importantly for the U.S.. Park arrives in Washington far from emptyhanded. In return for continued U.S. aid and Washington's political support, he is prepared to offer up to 30,000 combat-ready Korean troops for service in South Viet Nam.