SEOUL -- Moon Jae-in, who declared victory Tuesday in South Korea's snap presidential election, seeks to open an early line of dialogue with the North Korean regime, putting the reformist deeply at odds with the hard-line stance adopted by Japan and the U.S.

In order to speak with a louder voice when facing the U.S. and China, Seoul needs to take the lead in improving inter-Korea relations, Moon declared during a debate April 27. That approach would not only lead to stability between the Koreas, so goes the thinking, it would also prevent Washington and Beijing from passing over South Korea when bargaining over the North.

By carving out wider channels with Pyongyang, Moon believes that his country would hold a stronger hand when interacting with the U.S. and China.

Moon's comprehensive solution for North Korea involves the regime getting rid of nuclear weapons, replacing the 1953 cease-fire with a formal peace treaty, and having Washington normalize relations with Pyongyang. His campaign platform even specifies a peace treaty between the North and South after the two sides completely resolve hostilities.

Moon has indicated a willingness to reopen the Kaesong industrial complex and resume tourism to Mt. Kumgang in the North. The two symbols of economic cooperation between the two countries were shut down by Moon's immediate predecessors Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak -- both conservatives. Opening a dialogue with the hermit state would get the ball rolling on that front.

South Korea has had conservative and reformist administrations change once every decade, alternating between a hard-line position and a conciliatory stance. The late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun met with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2007. Moon, while serving as Roh's chief secretary, played a central role in organizing what was the second-ever bilateral leaders' summit.

At the top of the new administration's agenda is the controversy surrounding the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system. Moon had preached caution on its deployment, saying that South Korea had a lot more to lose than gain, especially when it comes to Chinese retaliation. He wanted to make the deployment contingent on a vote in the National Assembly.

But South Korean pushback on THAAD could cause friction with Washington. The two allies have already started to squabble, with the White House suggesting that South Korea should pick up the $1 billion cost of deployment and Seoul flatly refusing to do so.

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that military options against North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program have not been ruled out. Moon said in response that any military action in the Korean Peninsula is out of the question without his country's consent.

During his campaign, Moon said he is willing to delay or cancel THAAD's deployment if the North freezes its nuclear program. He also hinted that joint military exercises with the U.S could be scaled down.

Throughout the presidential race, North Korea constantly smeared conservative candidates, under the presumption that it could break free of crippling sanctions if a more conciliatory administration were to take charge in the South. A more independent trajectory by Seoul not only risks creating cracks in the alliance with the U.S., it could also weaken the united front forged by the two countries and Japan.