Republican presidential hopeful and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event in Exeter, N.H., Sunday (local time). Washington's foreign policy on North Korea is emerging as one of key GOP primary issues as Haley tries to draw a contrast between her tough stance on the regime and that of her rival in the presidential race, Donald Trump. AFP-Yonhap

Washington's foreign policy on North Korea is emerging as one of the key issues of the GOP primary as Nikki Haley tries to draw a contrast between her tough stance on the regime and that of her rival in the presidential race, Donald Trump.

Heading into a significant test as she takes on the former president in Tuesday's (local time) New Hampshire primary, Haley's campaign team will start airing a three-minute ad featuring the mother of Otto Warmbier, a college student who died in 2017 after being imprisoned by North Korea.

"He was taken hostage, tortured and murdered by the government of North Korea," Cynthia Warmbier, who spoke at Haley's campaign event last year, is shown telling the crowd there.

"When we were begging the Obama administration for help, they told us to be quiet and be patient. Nikki told us the opposite. She told me it's OK to be afraid, like I am now, but I had to push through the fear."

His mother describes Haley, who was serving as the country's U.N. ambassador at that time, as a leader with strength and compassion.

The ad is part of her campaign effort to highlight her expertise in international relations and to portray Trump as a candidate who would undermine the U.S. status on the world stage ― one who often boasts about his cordial relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

Appearing on "Face the Nation" on CBS, Nikki said she would continue to "call North Korea out" as president, adding "You can't have someone who's trying to buddy up with dictators that want to kill us."

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a rally in advance of the New Hampshire presidential primary election in Rochester, N.H., Sunday (local time). Reuters-Yonhap

This comes as concerns are growing in South Korea over the possible second term of Trump, who had repeatedly demanded the U.S. ally pay more for American troops stationed there and ordered the scale-down of "tremendously expensive" joint drills against North Korea.

Since Trump left the office in January 2021, the government under Joe Biden has reinforced its security alliance with South Korea and Japan, while maintaining a firm stance against the regime. A Haley presidency ― a slim chance, according to polls ― would mean a continuation of such foreign policies on the Korean Peninsula, experts told The Korea Times on Monday.

"Compared to Trump, Haley's foreign policy is much more predictable. Given what she did and said while serving as the U.N. ambassador, she is expected to bring back the traditional Republican foreign policies and distance herself from the isolationists within the party," said Ma Sang-yoon, a professor of international relations at the Catholic University of Korea.

While serving her term, Haley had been tough on the North. When tensions were rising over the development of its weapons program in early 2017, she warned of a U.S. military action against the regime's repeated ballistic missile tests.

But for most American voters, foreign policy is not among the top issues they care about. So her electoral success depends on whether she could create a convincing message that her expertise in that field is vital to protect and promote their national interests, said Kim Sung-soo, a professor of international relations at Hanyang University.

Polls suggest that Trump, who scored a record-setting win in the Iowa caucuses, is projected to win the GOP nomination for president by a large margin. Haley is hoping her performance in New Hampshire will gather momentum as the contenders head to their next destination, South Carolina, where she served as governor from 2011 to 2017.