Lee Myung-bak, South Korean President on has called for forging a new strategic alliance with United States of America. At a Korea Society Dinner in New York, Lee asserted that both Seoul and Washington need to work out a common strategy for peace and prosperity in the Korean peninsula as well as other parts of the world. Lee is on his first foreign trip since he assumed office in February this year. He dismissed concerns over a weakening US and South Korean relations. The Korea–US alliance will embrace in its ambit military, political, cultural and economic ties. The military alliance between the two nations holds immense importance.

 

Currently, about 28,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea to help it defend against invasion by communist North Korea. The President, who is on a five-day trip to the US, expressed that both the nations need to chalk out common strategy in the 21st century for development and growth. However, Lee did not forget to assert that inter-Korea relations too are unique and important for South Korea. At the Korea Society Dinner Lee further remarked that the population of the two Koreas constitutes as one people and probably some day in the future the two Korea’s will be unified as one nation.