S. Korea seeks window into Obama`s foreign policy

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- A team of senior South Korean officials and academics
left for Washington on Tuesday as part of efforts to glean incoming U.S.
President Barack Obama's foreign policy direction.
The six-member group, led by Kim Tae-hyo, President Lee Myung-bak's secretary for
national strategy, plans to meet with some of Obama's diplomatic aides and Korea
experts at Washington-based think tanks during its three-day trip.
"We will hold a seminar to discuss the Obama administration's foreign policy,"
Korea University professor Kim Sung-han said. "It will also serve as a chance to
introduce the South Korean government's policy and its stance on the North Korean
nuclear issue."
The other members are Wi Sung-lac, special assistant to Foreign Minister Yu
Myung-hwan, former foreign minister Han Sung-joo, Korea University professor Hyun
In-taek, and Yonsei University professor Lee Chung-min. All of the professors
belong to a presidential advisory council on diplomacy.
Among those expected to attend the seminar are Kurt Campbell, a possible
candidate for assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs,
and Derek Mitchell, Asia director at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies.
The South Korean team is also pushing for meetings with Jeffrey Bader, a
researcher at the Brookings Institution and likely to enter the White House as a
member of the National Security Council, and Frank Januzzi, a key member of
Obama's diplomatic team, especially in dealing with South Korean affairs.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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