The election of Mr. Roh Moo Hyun as South Korea's next president promises continuity in Seoul. His victory is a triumph for departing President Kim Dae Jung, who launched Mr. Roh's Grand Millennium Party and inaugurated many of the policies that Mr. Roh inherits. Mr. Roh's pledge to continue Mr. Kim's "sunshine policy" of engagement with North Korea must be gratifying.
Unfortunately, continuity also threatens to increase strains between Seoul and Washington, which is taking a harder line against the North. A rift will have repercussions for regional security and stability. The need for coordination of policy between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo has never been more urgent.
Mr. Roh, a former human rights lawyer, defeated opposition candidate Lee Hoi Chang in a hard-fought race. The key issue in the campaign was policy toward the North. Mr. Lee, who has lost two consecutive presidential ballots and has said that he will now retire from politics, was critical of the sunshine policy and, like Washington, favored a harder approach to Pyongyang.