US President Barack Obama said Wednesday he expected closer cooperation with South Korea after the election of conservative Park Geun-Hye, calling the nation “a lynchpin” of security in Asia.
Obama in a statement congratulated the ruling party candidate, the daughter of the democracy’s former military ruler, on her victory in becoming the first female leader of Asia’s fourth largest economy.
“I look forward to working closely with the Park administration to further enhance our extensive cooperation with the Republic of Korea on a wide range of important bilateral, regional and global issues,” he said, using South Korea’s official name.
“The US-ROK alliance serves as a lynchpin of peace and security in the Asia Pacific and our two nations share a global partnership with deep economic, security and people-to-people ties,” he said.
Obama also paid tribute to outgoing President Lee Myung-Bak, who became one of the US president’s closest friends among foreign leaders and worked with him to push through a landmark free trade agreement. Lee could not seek another term.
Obama voiced “admiration for all that President Lee has done to strengthen US-ROK relations and promote a Global Korea,” referring to the South’s effort to promote itself internationally.
Pundits will likely closely scrutinize Obama’s choice of words by calling South Korea “a lynchpin” of security. In a statement Sunday after Japan elected conservative Shinzo Abe, Obama called the US-Japan alliance “the cornerstone of peace and prosperity” in the region.
Obama seeks cooperation with new S.Korea leader
