[Editorial] New US president-elect and power of democracy

After over one month of protracted litigation, Texas governor George W. Bush has finally emerged as the president-elect of the United States. For the first time in its history, the US Supreme Court intervened in a presidential election, handing down a ruling on the dispute between the Democratic and Republican parties over ballot hand-counts in Florida. The US Supreme Court handed the presidency to Bush by ruling that hand-counts were unconstitutional. Democratic Party candidate Al Gore conceded defeat Thursday.

Owing to its unique electoral college system, Gore lost the presidency despite earning a greater percentage of the popular vote. The disputes that were raised during vote recounts made it clear that there are serious flaws in the American election system.

Yet, the election's belated resolution reminded us again of the power of democracy in America, as both the political sphere and the general public put their faith in the rule of law. No physical or artificial means were used to resolve the protracted dispute. What prevailed was democratic thinking, thanks to the American people's regard for existing laws and their determination that their nation's highest court would be the final arbiter of the dispute.

What was also impressive to us was Gore's concession speech, in which he called for reconciliation and renewed unity, despite his hard-fought struggle to ensure that every vote was counted.

It is fortunate not only for the American people but also for those seeking to establish world peace and stability that the US was able to settle the outcome of the presidential election, even though it required an unprecedented amount of litigation. Uncertainty and confusion over the US leadership threatened to have a negative impact on the rest of the world.

President-elect Bush must now demonstrate extraordinary leadership in order to unite American voters and triumph over the fact that he was not the choice of the majority. Externally, challenges the world over will test his leadership as the new millennium's first US president. Thus, an early healing of the national wounds from the divisive presidential election is imperative to ensure that the US role as the world's sole superpower remains unimpeded.

What we are most concerned about here is the Bush administration's policies on the Korean peninsula. Bush's most likely international affairs team is composed of hardliners on America's North Korea policy. The Bush administration may not make any fundamental departure from the Clinton administration's stance on North Korea. But delicate policy changes are always possible during mutual diplomatic contacts between Washington and Pyongyang. We should be prepared for new developments by keeping a vigilant eye on the ways in which the Bush team conducts its relations with Beijing, which is Washington's increasingly assertive and competitive counterpart.

The government must make efforts at the earliest possible date to set up close diplomatic contacts with the people in the Bush administration in order to solidify the existing Korea-US partnership and effectively address any changes or challenges in Northeast Asia.