YONHAP NEWS

(News Focus) S. Korean president's politics, diplomacy face crucial test in 2010

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak on Monday laid out a sweeping policy vision for his third year in office, calling for increased confidence in the country's ability to weather the seas ahead as the economic gloom apparently lifts under his stewardship and the world sees a "new order" emerge.

Lee mentioned the word 'change' as many as 13 times in his 21-minute nationally televised address, stressing his belief that South Korean citizens should initiate change rather than passively follow international society if they are to secure a rosy future for the nation.

   "In 2010, we are in the midst of a great transformation," Lee said. "The world is witnessing the dissolution of the old order and the emergence of a new order. The global economic crisis triggered by the financial meltdown and environmental degradation caused by climate change are prompting the advent of this new order."

   The president, however, again faces important political and diplomatic events, the outcomes of which are crucial to heightening the national status of this country in the international community.

   There are several potential stumbling blocks the president has to face this year, including local elections, the North Korean nuclear issue, political rancor over the creation of Sejong City and the revival of economy, the outcome of which will be especially important to making his third year in office successful.

   Analysts agree that the June 2 local elections to pick the mayors of Seoul and the heads of 15 other provincial governments will serve as a mid-term evaluation of Lee's performance and a bellwether of the presidential polls in 2012. Lee is banned from seeking re-election under the country's constitution, but the ruling Grand National Party is eager to seize power again.

   Lee's approval ratings have rebounded to close to 50 percent or over, according to various opinion polls released in recent days. The surge, however, was driven mainly by Lee's diplomatic feats, including the successful bid to host the G-20 economic summit in November and win a lucrative contract to build nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates, rather than his accomplishments on domestic issues, according to political analysts.

   The government's push to revise a plan agreed during the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration to relocate about a dozen ministries and government agencies to a town located in the center of the country remains controversial, and Lee's ambitious campaign to revamp the country's four longest rivers is facing heated debate.

   One of the impending tests will be how the public will react to the government's blueprint to develop the Sejong City, about 130 kilometers south of Seoul, to be released next Monday. Residents in Chungcheong Province and opposition parties have criticized Lee, a former Seoul mayor, for reneging on the "national promise" to build an administrative city there.

   "President Lee has shown the leadership of accomplishment through the successful bid to host the G-20 summit, the early recovery of the economy, and the export of nuclear power plant," Kim Hyung-joon, professor of political science at Myongji University in Seoul said.

   But how to resolve the Sejong City issue is a variation on the sustainability of the popularity buttressed by those accomplishments, he added.

   Lee also faces the daunting task of improving relations with North Korea in the wake of the resumption of direct contact between Pyongyang and Washington.

   In a New Year's address, Lee, who took office with a pledge to end unconditional aid for the communist neighbor without its denuclearization, said he will try to make a fresh turning point in inter-Korean ties.

   The president expressed his wish that the two Koreas set up liaison offices in their respective capitals for "standing dialogue." The North has kept mum on the offer.

   Many say that this year is an appropriate time for South and North Korean leaders to hold a third summit, saying it may be realized as early as in March or April.

   At issue is the venue and the agenda for the event. The two previous rounds took place in Pyongyang. It is unclear whether the North's leader, who apparently dislikes international trips, will cross the border for the summit. South Korea also wants to include the North's nuclear program on the agenda, while Pyongyang has made clear that it is a matter solely to be handled with the United States.

   Lee and his aides are also concerned about the pace of the economic recovery. The CEO-turned-president said that his government would successfully complete its emergency economic mode within the first half of this year so low-income households can feel the effects of a revived economy in the latter half.

   "It was one of the important points that President Lee wanted to stress. He expressed his intention to overcome the emergency economic situation as early as possible," Lee Dong-kwan, top public relations secretary at the presidential office told reporters.

   In November, President Lee and his country will take center stage in global summit diplomacy by hosting the fifth G-20 summit.

   If held successfully, it will give a further boost to Lee's "Global Korea" campaign aimed at enhancing the country's international standing, experts say.

   lcd@yna.co.kr
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