HONG KONG, CHINA (CP) – South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung promised to restart talks with North Korea while strengthening partnerships with the United States and Japan, as he outlined key goals during his inauguration ceremony following a snap election triggered by his predecessor’s martial law crisis.
President Lee began his five-year term Wednesday after winning the special election that was called in April when former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his controversial martial law declaration. In his inaugural speech at the National Assembly, Lee said his government would handle North Korean nuclear threats with “strong deterrence” based on the South Korea-US military alliance, while also opening communication channels with North Korea to establish peace through talks and cooperation. The new president, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea’s leading liberal politician, has promised to fight inequality and corruption during his single term in office.
Lee faces major challenges including President Trump’s tariff policies and North Korea’s growing military partnership with Russia, which has included supplying weapons and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations to Lee, while Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed hopes for early summit talks to promote bilateral ties. The United States and Japan both welcomed Lee’s election and reaffirmed their commitment to three-way cooperation, with the State Department calling the Seoul-Washington alliance “ironclad.”
The new president nominated former Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok as his intelligence chief and veteran lawmaker Kim Min-seok as prime minister, signaling his intention to pursue diplomatic engagement with North Korea. Lee called for national unity to heal South Korea’s political divisions caused by the martial law crisis, describing it as a “rebellion that seized people’s sovereignty with arms.” He promised thorough investigation of the circumstances while making economic recovery his top priority, as South Korea’s central bank recently cut interest rates and lowered its 2025 growth outlook to just 0.8 percent due to Trump tariff concerns and weak domestic demand.