Prime Minister of Korea says, “The U.S. Democratic Party also values the alliance… there will be no significant change in Korea-U.S. relations.”

Regarding the role of coordinating foreign affairs and security, “Ministers will meet frequently and discuss matters.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Sang-hyun = Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said on the 5th that the U.S. Democratic Party secured a majority of seats in the Senate and House of Representatives in the midterm elections, saying, "The alliance between Korea and the U.S. has been considered important by both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, so I don't think there will be a very big change in the relationship between Korea and the United States."

When asked by Rep. Lee Ki-heon of the Democratic Party of Korea how he evaluated the results of the midterm election during a comprehensive policy inquiry by the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, Prime Minister Han responded, "The Democratic Party's victory was much stronger than expected."

Regarding the future diplomatic strategy toward the United States, he explained, "There are areas where each item needs to be analyzed in detail and further responded to," and "We are proceeding with matters that need to be reviewed by ministries with a separate response system."

Prime Minister Han also responded to Rep. Lee's request to play a coordinating role in the event of conflict between foreign affairs and security ministries, saying, "What you said is very important." He added, "I will meet with the ministers of the relevant ministries more often to listen to (their opinions) and have many opportunities to discuss together."

He added, “I think we are in a situation where it is very difficult to predict where we will go now,” and added, “We will take a close look at North Korea (issues), the situation after the U.S. (midterm) elections, and reactions after the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting.”