South Korea: Challenges for a New President

South Koreans will elect a new president Dec. 19, and Lee Myung Bak of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP), has a strong lead over his two closest challengers, former Unification Minister Chung Dong Young and former GNP member and perennial presidential hopeful Lee Hoi Chang. The winner will be faced with domestic economic and social challenges and defining South Korea's place in the changing Asia-Pacific theater.