DIPLOMATIC PRIORITIES POST ELECTION

Welcome to Press Perspective.

Early voting began at six in the morning on this Thursday here in Korea and will end at six in the evening tomorrow that is Friday.

Election day itself is now five days away.

That being said today we touch upon the diplomatic implications of the election result on South Korea's partners including the U.S. and neighboring Japan.

For more I have Kelly Kasulis Cho with American daily The Washington Post here in Seoul.

Kelly welcome back.

I also have Walter Sim with Singaporean daily The Straits Times over in Tokyo.

Walter it's a pleasure.

1) Kelly, quite a number of foreign media outlets have highlighted the balancing act that the new South Korea leader will need to put into practice to maintain Seoul's trade ties with Beijing and security ties with Washington.

2) Kelly, do you suppose a conservative party victory will see Seoul's U.S. policy standing where it is?

3) Walter, speaking as a journalist observing the political events here from neighboring Japan, how does a liberal party victory look to affect Seoul's ties with Tokyo?

4) Walter, would it be fair to assume a conservative party victory will serve to keep bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo on its current track?

5) Kelly, talk about a possible relocation of some American soldiers stationed here in South Korea to other parts of the Indo-Pacific has raised quite a bit of concern.

6) Walter, how does the Trump administration's shift in security strategy look to affect its security partnership with South Korea and Japan?

7) Kelly, I believe some U.S. analysts are saying South Korea should be seeking "to persuade China not to create conflict in the Taiwan Strait" as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would ultimately drag South Korea into the battlefield.

8) Meanwhile Walter, I hear Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong is in Japan as we speak.

9) Kelly, Mr. Trump's Oval Office receptions of foreign leaders are raising international eyebrows following his earlier exchange with Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelenksyy and his most recent interaction with South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.

10) Finally, Walter, do you suppose the election result will serve to pave the path to healing for South Korea?

And that is all today.

Thank you for watching.