With South Korea’s presidential election just a week away, the country’s approach toward the U.S.-China rivalry has become the center topic for debate. Poll numbers in the final days appear to favor the conservative candidate seeking to enhance ties with the United States. The 2022 South Korean presidential election is scheduled for Mar. 9. The four candidates are Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP), Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People’s Party, and Sim Sang-jung of the progressive Justice Party. The two leading candidates are Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-youl, as the two other candidates do not have enough support at this time to clinch the top role. On the issue of foreign policy, Lee underlined that South Korea should continue to develop a “strategic cooperative partnership” with China due to the country’s high-level dependence on trade, …