Korea's new President Park Geun-hye's foreign policy to focus on DPRK and foster greater trust with strategic partners

With 51,55 percent of the vote, Park Geun-hye, daughter of former President Park Chung-Hee, became South Korea's (ROK) first female President. Ms Park was sworn in and took office on February 25 to begin a single five-year term. Her mandate started two weeks after North Korea (DPRK) carried out its third nuclear test.

Since Ms Park has been proclaimed the winner of the elections on December 19, 2012, DiploNews has been monitoring what the new President said about her country's foreign policy. First and foremost, Ms Park's top priority will be the DPRK. In her first speech as President, she said that because of Kim Jong-un's current policy that pursues the hard line of his predecessor and late father Kim Jong-il, "there should be no mistake that the biggest victim will be none other than North Korea itself."

Abroad, the participants in the stalled six-party talks and the DPRK are wondering whether Ms Park will ease the tensions or continue the tough stance of her fellow predecessor, Lee Myung-bak.

Indicative of the importance of the ROK in global security issues, the United States President Barack Obama sent his National Security Advisor Tom Donilon to attend Ms Park's oath of office. While meeting with the US delegation on January 16, Ms Park spoke of her hope that the two countries' alliance can advance as a comprehensive strategic partnership based on trust, as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Korea-US alliance.

As regards Japan, President Park said "the two countries can work together to build friendship, as trust-building is important for expanding bilateral exchanges," Ms Park's comment on China was shorter although she hopes that "both the ROK and China can further develop trust and advance friendly relations between both countries through the incoming administrations (of Xi Jinping)." With her counterpart Vladimir Putin, President Park thought there is room to "build good ROK-Russia relations and make a concerted effort to strengthen the strategic partnership."

On Business and trade, Ms Park told of her will to help the country expand its trade volume and pointed out that "the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is becoming the ROK's most important partner and a key ally."

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