A review of the policies of the new South Korean president

The South Korean presidential election ended with the victory of liberal candidate Moon Jae-in, bringing the liberal party to power in South Korea after a decade.

Moon Jae-in, from the South Korean Social Liberal Party known as the Minjoo Party, is a candidate whose victory in the presidential election brought hope to many South Korean citizens.

But with Mr. Jae-in coming to power, South Korea's policies toward the United States, and especially North Korea, will see fundamental changes.

Moon's policy towards North Korea

During his election campaign, Mr. Moon supported a policy of dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, instead of imposing sanctions and harsh rhetoric against North Korea, and for this he was criticized by the country's hard-line conservatives.

Mr. Moon's policy toward North Korea is a mix of negotiations, economic cooperation, and military and security measures. "I am confident that I can lead the diplomatic efforts of all parties in the country that will result in a complete halt to North Korea's nuclear program," he said in a debate in April.

Moon believes that relations with North Korea, especially in the economic field, are the best way to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Moon Jae-in's approach to America

The United States and South Korea have been politically and militarily allied for more than a decade, and Washington is considered Seoul's most important bilateral ally.

But the new South Korean leader disagrees with the Trump administration on one very important issue: the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system on South Korean soil.

After the impeachment and removal of former President Park Geun-hye, the country's interim government accelerated the deployment of the THAAD system, a move that was heavily criticized by Mr. Moon and leftist parties.

Mr. Moon and other critics of the THAAD project believe that the deployment of the system should be put to a vote in the country's parliament. But Seoul and Washington jointly announced last week, before Mr. Moon's victory, that a large part of the THAAD system had been deployed and operational and that the new president would not be able to prevent its full deployment.

Mr. Moon also said in an interview with the Washington Post, while emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the United States and South Korea in improving diplomatic relations and national security, "We must have the first say in matters of the Korean Peninsula that directly concern us."

Regarding the meeting with Mr. Trump, Mr. Moon said he hopes such a meeting will be an opportunity for them to reach a practical solution to confront North Korea's nuclear program and completely stop it.

Source: Voice of America