South Korean president-elect Lee Myung-bak faces the daunting
tasks of reinvigorating the economy and keeping the Korean
Peninsula peace process going, Chinese observers said
yesterday.
Piao Jianyi, a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences, said the win by Lee, former Hyundai CEO, reflects
the people's desire to find a leader who can navigate the economy
through the current difficulties.
Lee has said he would run the country like a CEO and promised to
work for fast economic growth. But it is a tough battle to keep
Asia's fourth largest economy on the right track, Piao said.
Liu Jiangyong, a professor of international relations at
Tsinghua University, noted Lee has talked tough on the policy
toward Pyongyang.
"But it is clear that the engagement between the North and the
South has benefited both sides politically and economically," Liu
said.
As tension eases in the peninsula and Washington's ties with
Pyongyang improve, Lee will have to tread a cautious line to
maintain the momentum in the peace process, he said.
(China Daily December 20, 2007)
