Political parties congratulated former U.S. President Donald Trump on his presidential election win, Thursday, following his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris a day earlier.
At a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in the morning, Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the ruling conservative People Power Party (PPP), said, "Former President Trump was de facto elected in the U.S. presidential election. Congratulations on your win."
"I think the strong Korea-U.S. alliance will be a solid foundation for the two countries to continue productive relationship cooperation for common development and profit," he said.
Rep. Kwak Kyu-taek, the PPP's chief spokesman, also congratulated Trump on his victory in a commentary on Wednesday. "(The party) looks forward to further developing the blood alliance between South Korea and the U.S. after this election," he said.
"We need to open up a new future based on a stronger alliance between the U.S. and South Korea. The security situation in Northeast Asia is more severe than ever due to the recent close ties between North Korea and Russia. We need to thoroughly respond to North Korea's armed provocations based on a perfect security posture between the U.S. and South Korea."
"We hope that strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries will also contribute to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.
Former President Moon Jae-in said on social media, Wednesday, "Congratulations to former President Trump, who was elected as the 47th president of the United States," and "Congratulations and greetings of friendship to Melania and her family as well."
Moon was president from May 2017 to May 2022, and Trump from January 2017 to January 2021. Moon arranged a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June 2019.
"I still cherish the time of peace on the Korean Peninsula, which I made with President Trump during my presidency," he said. "President Trump and I walked together on a path that no one has ever been able to for permanent peace and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
He added, "President Trump is a courageous leader who can negotiate peace even with his hostile counterpart. We look forward to the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the U.S., which has been interrupted by President Trump's pragmatic leadership and bold determination, and further strengthen peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia."
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a Facebook post, Thursday, "Congratulations to President-elect Trump on his comeback with an overwhelming victory," adding, "As President-elect Trump emphasized, we look forward to rebuilding a stronger United States and standing tall in the international community again."
"It is essential to solidify the Korea-U.S. alliance even under the second Trump administration," Oh said. "It has also become more evident that we cannot rely solely on U.S. consideration for Korea's diplomacy and security." Oh said, adding, "When Korea becomes stronger, Trump will respect Korea more."