The South Korean Presidential election 2012 and the possible renewal of Inter-Korean relations

The South Korean presidential election campaign has certainly heated up since Dr. Ahn Cheol-soo, a medical doctor and professor (but, better known as an innovative computer anti-virus software developer in Korea) announced in September his surprising intention to run for office. This upcoming election can best be summarised as a triangular contest between Moon Jae-in, Park Geun-hye, and Ahn Cheol-soo. Because of this chaotic three-side struggle it is difficult to identify who will be the next leader of South Korea. So for this reason, this article will not discuss the specific political ideas of the three candidates. It would be more proper to consider the general aspects of upcoming election. To be specific, we need to focus on the implication of election in the inter-Korean relations. Regardless of the result of election, the new administration of Seoul will change its policy toward North Korea, and Pyongyang will need to decide its new approach towards South Korea, too.