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The response of Korean political parties to Democratic candidate Barack Obama¡¯s victory in the U.S. presidential election on Wednesday was mixed. The conservative Grand National Party and Liberty Forward Party were generally lukewarm, while the Democratic Party and the Democratic Labor Party, both progressive, welcomed the result.
While forecasting that the overall framework of the Korea-U.S. alliances will not change, the GNP voiced the need to prepare for the ¡°change¡± Obama has promised. In a statement, GNP Spokesman Yoon Sang-hyun said, ¡°The black eagle has unfolded its wings. The Korean and U.S. governments should work together to overcome the global financial crisis, ratify the free trade agreement between them, and denuclearize North Korea.¡± Saying there will be ¡°no change in the overall framework of the Korea-U.S. alliance,¡± Park Jin, chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee added, ¡°The Korean government¡¯s strategic option should be to ratify the FTA first, and then persuade and urge the U.S. Congress to ratify it.¡± The GNP is also mulling the establishment of a party taskforce to prepare for changes under the new U.S. administration.
But the DP said, since the U.S. has opted for change, President Lee Myung-bak should also adjust his foreign and economic policies. DP Chairman Chung Se-kyun said, ¡°A wonderful and extraordinary thing has happened in world history.¡± He expressed hope for "positive changes" on the division of Korea and other issues.
The arch-conservative LFP Chairman Lee Hoi-chang said he sincerely hopes the new U.S. administration ¡°will recognize the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance and develop it further.¡± But DLP Spokesman Park Seung-hup expressed ¡°high hopes for the new president-elect Obama regarding his policy toward North Korea.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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