SEOUL -- In his inaugural speech to the South Korean people in Seoul last week, President Roh Moo Hyun gave us a window on his world. At the top of his policy agenda is greater independence on the Korean Peninsula and deeper integration in the region. Roh sees the way forward to peace on the peninsula through a more balanced and reciprocal relationship with the United States in the post-Cold War era sustained by a regional security dialogue.

At the same time, he hopes to achieve greater economic security by carving out a new role for Seoul as Northeast Asia's regional economic hub.

These goals, while laudable, may prove difficult, if not insurmountable, under present circumstances. As matters stand now, the peninsula is in deep crisis over the threat North Korea poses with its weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs; Seoul and Washington need to stand firmly together to address it. That is the message U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell brought with him when he attended Roh's inauguration.