Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday. / AFP-Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

A change of administration from Donald Trump to Joe Biden means that South Korea, a crucial Asian ally of the United States, will finally get the respect it deserves but has been sorely missing for the last four years under Trump, according to diplomatic experts, Thursday.

The two nations may quickly wrap up deadlocked negotiations on pending bilateral issues, including the defense cost-sharing deal for the stationing of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), while Seoul could shake off the burden inflicted by the power struggle between the U.S. and China.

However, when it comes to North Korea's nuclear weapons program, it will take more time before the new administration become fully committed to the issue, which may see Pyongyang engaging in military provocations to once again elevate tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Biden was projected to have secured at least 253 electoral votes, just 17 short of the 270 needed to win the White House as of 5 p.m.

"Biden will attempt to return to traditional alliance management, which will ensure that the ROK and U.S. maintain a close relationship," Ken Gause, the director of the Adversary Analytics Program at CNA, told The Korea Times. ROK refers to the Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea.

Ramon Pacheco Pardo, an associate professor in international relations at King's College London, also said ROK-U.S. relations will dramatically improve under a Biden administration that will seek to win back the trust of America's allies.

Biden recently sent a contribution to a Korean news agency, vowing to strengthen the alliance with South Korea rather than extorting Seoul with reckless threats to remove U.S. troops.

"His op-ed is a clear attempt to build bridges with South Korea. Furthermore, the people advising him on Korean and East Asian affairs are all supportive of the ROK-U.S. alliance," Pacheco Pardo said.

The allies have yet to finalize the cost-sharing negotiations for the USFK presence on the peninsula, with the deal being stalled after Trump demanded a 50 percent increase in Seoul's share from last year, or $1.3 billion (1.47 trillion won), while Korea has maintained its stance of a 13 percent increase.

Considering Biden's view of American allies, the two sides may quickly conclude a new defense cost-sharing deal, known as the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), with a more rational amount for South Korea, the experts noted.