The Wall Street Journal says South Korea's rapid change of stance in free trade talks with the U.S. was due to a combination of forces, including the security situation and the alliance with Washington.

The journal said that last week, a South Korean trade delegation went to Washington and agreed to a free trade pact on terms the Koreans wouldn't even discuss, much less accept, previously.

The paper said that on Friday, Korean negotiators agreed to a five-year delay in lifting American auto tariffs --- a longer delay than the one Seoul wouldn't even discuss before.

The journal said the South Koreans seemed worried their broader relationship with the U.S. had been put at risk, especially in the wake of North Korea's shelling of a South Korean island.

The article said many of President Barack Obama's gambles haven't paid off, but that the Korean gambit just might.