By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

Seoul officials welcomed Obama's victory, which they hope will bring new vision to the bilateral alliance, but they cautioned over possible protectionist tendencies of the incoming American administration.
Korean opposition lawmakers also expressed the view that Obama's push for better Sino-U.S. ties and direct talks with North Korea, might leave Korea marginalized.

After eight years of a conservative administration in Washington, American voters opted for change Tuesday and decided to put a young progressive senator into the White House.
Senator Barack Obama, 47, from the Democratic Party, won a resounding victory in the U.S. presidential election against his Republican Party rival, Senator John McCain.

Obama will be sworn in as 44th President of the United States on Jan. 20. His administration will be aided by fellow Democrats in Congress ― the party scored victories in both houses of Congress, signaling a new era of liberalism in Washington. Tuesday's election puts Democrats in firm control of the U.S. federal government for the first time since the early 1990s.

In the coming weeks, Seoul may also feel this transformation that is now taking place in Washington.
U.S. President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden are expected to bring a new vision to Washington's foreign policy affairs, including the Korea-U.S. alliance and dealing with the North Korea nuclear issue.
Obama's Korea policy advisor, Frank Jannuzi, in a speech in Washington last week, described the future of the Korea-U.S. alliance this way: ``What once was a uniquely and exclusively bilateral alliance, oriented against a common threat, is becoming an alliance with a broader purpose, one that is based on common interests and common values.''

He said the alliance was well-positioned to meet the challenges of non-traditional threats including terrorism, nuclear proliferation and energy-security.
The Obama camp has also indicated that the new administration would seek ``principled, direct diplomacy'' with Pyongyang to complement the six-nation talks, adding a new dimension to regional diplomacy.
On the economic front, the Obama administration is likely to seek some revisions to the pending Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) before giving it a full endorsement.

Seoul's top trade negotiator Lee Hye-min made it clear Wednesday that it would be difficult for Seoul and Washington to renegotiate the deal, saying it ``goes against international customs.'' Trying to renegotiate the text when it has been signed and awaiting ratification by the National Assembly and the Congress is inappropriate, he added.
Lee added Obama's objections to the deal were confined to automobiles, adding that no party to the KORUS FTA would find all parts of the pact satisfactory.

Obama views the deal with South Korea as flawed, according to U.S. Congressional aide Frank Jannuzi at a recent debate on behalf of the Illinois senator. He said the accord will be ``ratified in an Obama administration but ratified with the proper safeguards.''

Seoul officials are keeping a close eye on the unfolding events in Washington. An unnamed senior aide in Cheong Wa Dae was quoted as saying that President Lee Myung-bak's administration hopes Obama will help take the Korea-U.S. relationship to the next level. ``We are preparing for follow-up working level diplomatic steps,'' according to the official. ``There is a lot of work to be done on the diplomatic front.''
The conservative Lee administration is reportedly trying to arrange a one-on-one meeting between President Lee and U.S. President-elect Obama, at the upcoming G-20 summit on the global financial crisis, to be held in Washington on Nov. 15.

But some expressed concern that the Lee administration and the liberal Obama White House may not see eye-to-eye on major bilateral issues. Further, according to Rep. Song Young-gil, a senior member of the main opposition Democratic Party in Korea, if the Obama administration focuses on strengthening Sino-U.S. relations and starts direct diplomacy with North Korea, Seoul could be left out in the cold.

Song said, ``In particular, Senator McCain treated China with caution. But Senator Obama sees China in a competitive yet cooperative relationship with the United States. I expect much closer Sino-U.S. relations under the Obama administration. On top of that, if the U.S.-North Korea relations also improve, Seoul could find itself isolated in regional diplomacy.''

michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr