This past June, President Bush made a series of telephone calls to leaders in the region calling on them to use their influence with Pyongyang in an effort to halt North Korean preparations to launch a Taepo Dong missile. When the news media pointed out that Bush had not called President Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean officials quickly arranged a mid-September Summit in Washington between President Bush and President Roh in an attempt to demonstrate the closeness of the U.S.-ROK relationship and put an end to speculation that the alliance was adrift.