The South Korean government welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush's message apologizing for the deaths of the two Korean schoolgirls run over by a U.S. military vehicle in June.

In the message relayed by U.S. Ambassador Thomas Hubbard earlier in the day, Bush expressed his "sadness and regret" over the tragic accident and reiterated the United States' commitment to work closely with the Republic of Korea to help prevent the re-occurrence of such accidents.

An official of the South Korean government said that President Bush's apology is a positive sign and that the Korean government will continue to work closely with the U.S. government to prevent such tragedies.