[Opinion] Obama’s View on Korean Issues

Since U.S. Senator Barack Obama of the Democratic Party declared his intention to run for the U.S. presidency on Feb. 10, 2007, the South Korean media remained inconsistent over how to write his name in Korean for a while. Adopting a recommendation by the joint deliberation committee on foreign languages last March, the Korean government and media reached an agreement over the marking of his name in Korean language. His first name “Barack” means “blessed by God" in African Swahili. The 47-year-old African American candidate is drawing the global attention as he began overtaking Hillary Clinton, a White female candidate, in the battle for delegates.

As strange as his name is to Koreans, his views on Korean-related issues are not well-known in Korea. In a letter sent to the U.S. Congress last week, Obama stressed his opinions about the U.S.-ROK alliance and North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, while congratulating South Korean President-elect Lee Myung-bak on his victory. Citing the bilateral relations between Seoul and Washington as the one forged in blood during the Korean War, he said, “The inauguration of Lee will serve as an opportunity for reconfirming and reinvigorating the U.S.-ROK alliance to open a new era.” He also stated that the U.S.-ROK relationship has been adrift in recent years. These remarks are considered his acknowledgement of the needs to improve the relationship between the two countries.

Obama didn’t hesitate to express skepticism about some issues. He expressed discontent about the KORUS FTA, citing the standards of key sectors, such as autos, rice, beef, labor and the environment. On U.S. President George W. Bush’s policy toward North Korea, he criticized that the U.S. president has failed to reach a consensus among the political circles. Now, we Koreans should pay a close attention to the frontrunner candidate of the Democratic Party nomination. There are not many differences between Obama and Clinton over their perspectives on the KORUS FTA and the North Korean nuclear programs. If a U.S. Democratic candidate claims victory in the presidential election, it will lead to a fundamental change in the U.S. policy toward the Korean Peninsula, as “change” is Obama’s campaign motto.

He is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Spending his childhood in Jakarta, Indonesia, Obama has interest in Asian countries including South Korea. But, his policy on Seoul has seldom been expressed since Korea-related issues do not constitute a big issue in the U.S. presidential election. As he said he has “no illusions" about North Korea, South Koreans also should not have much fancy for a dramatic breakthrough by a new U.S. president. No matter who becomes the U.S. president, Koreans should be ready to deal with the changes the U.S. presidential election would bring.

Editorial Writer Bang Hyung-nam, hnbhang@donga.com