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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| ROK presidential poll affects Japan's security |
| 2007-12-03 |
| South Korea's upcoming presidential election will be held just as the six-party talks on North Korea's abandonment of its nuclear programs are expected to reach a critical point. A record-high 12 candidates have registered for the election to pick the successor to South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, scheduled for Dec. 19, of whom three are seen as the main contenders. Whoever is elected will face an issue of grave importance in terms of security--determining how to proceed with the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, which is still under nuclear threat from North Korea. The issue weighs heavily on Japan's national security as well. From this point of view, the nation has to closely watch the election campaign. In the past two presidential elections, conservative forces failed to unite behind a single candidate and lost to the leftist camp. Since Lee Hoi Chang, who left the GNP, is making a third bid after two failed attempts to win the presidency, conservative forces again are split. The left, meanwhile, is struggling to secure solid support due to the unpopularity of Roh, whose approval rating stands as low as about 20 percent, and has a number of candidates running in the election. The three main candidates do not differ much in that they all pledge to seek continued economic growth, but they clearly differ on policy toward North Korea. Who wins South Korea's presidency is sure to affect the future course of the six-party talks. Japan should pay very close attention to the campaign debate pertaining to North Korea. |
| Posted by:Pappy |