With the reelection of US president Barack Obama, favorable Korean-American relations are expected to be maintained in the big framework. Despite forecasts of a super tight race, President Obama received considerable support and he was finally reelected.
The development of bilateral relations and North Korea were the two main issues. In his first four years in office, President Obama has acknowledged South Korea's leading role in Korean Peninsula affairs and paid attention to alliance concerns. With Obama's reelection, some experts believe cooperative relations will expand and grow deeper. However, there is the variable of Korea's presidential election.
Presidential candidates have expressed more flexible policies on North Korea than those of the Lee Myung-bak's administration. On the other hand, with the election over, President Obama can now be more assertive against North Korea's nuclear threats. However, many experts said that because the relationship between the two countries is based on mutual trust and cooperation, Both South Korea and United States will pursue a common goal of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.
Besides, today's China has emerged as the other global superpower along with the US. To Washington, appropriately setting its relationship with Beijing has become a principal task. The Obama administration's increased emphasis on Asia will not be practicable without help from its key allies in the region, South Korea.
Original article: http://news.kukinews.com/article/view.asp?page=1&gCode=pol&arcid=0006603963&code=30801000
It will be interesting to see how Obama handles Korean policies. I have a feeling that he'll be more focused on the middle east.
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