By Reuben Staines
Staff Reporter

A senior U.S. official has created a stir by reportedly criticizing South Korea’s initiative move away from its traditional alliance with Washington and play a ``balancer role’’ in Northeast Asia.

Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state and point man on the North Korean nuclear talks, ``looked annoyed’’ when asked about the balancer policy and said Seoul would be better to stick close to Washington, according a report in the New York Times.

Under the balancer doctrine, which was first outlined by President Roh Moo-hyun in March, Seoul aims to act as a strategic mediator between regional powers such as Japan, China and Russia.

But the usually diplomatic Hill said South Korea should remember it is in a ``high-crime neighborhood’’ and historically has been the victim of numerous invasions.

``If I were a South Korean looking into the future, I would be saying to myself, `I want a special relationship with a distant power,’’’ he was quoted as saying in an interview with the U.S. daily.

Vernacular newspapers in Seoul interpreted Hill remarks as being dismissive of Roh’s bid to follow a more independent foreign policy direction.

A spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul said she had seen the reports on Hill’s remarks but was trying to contact the former ambassador to verify their accuracy.

The balancer doctrine has been a source of controversy in recent months, with conservative political forces, including the opposition Grand National Party, warning that it is undermining South Korea’s alliance with the United States.

However, Kim Sook, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Washington accepted South Korea’s independent foreign policy initiative following a trip to the U.S. in mid-April.

rjs@koreatimes.co.kr