President-elect Lee Myung-bak said Thursday he'll reshape Korea-U.S. relations when his administration is launched in February.
At a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, Lee said he will seek to balance the two countries' interests, citing what he called "lack of trust" between the two allies during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
In a separate meeting with Japan's top envoy to Seoul, Toshinori Shigeie, the president-elect expressed hope that Seoul and Tokyo will cooperate on the North Korean nuclear issue. He added that overall relations between nations in Northeast Asia must be improved.
Lee also urged Japan to help reduce Seoul's 30-billion-dollar-a-year trade deficit with its neighbor.
Chung Dong-young 
President-elect Lee Myung-bak said Thursday he'll reshape Korea-U.S. relations when his administration is launched in February.
List