South Korea's new leader vows to ‘heal wounds' with nuclear-armed North
South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hea-kyung greet supporters after the inauguration ceremony in Seoul. (AP pic)
SEOUL : South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung vowed to reach out to the nuclear-armed North and 'heal wounds' as he took office Wednesday, after winning snap elections triggered by his predecessor's disastrous martial law declaration.
South Korea's new centre-left leader also warned that 'rising protectionism and supply chain restructuring' posed an existential threat to Asia's export-dependent fourth-largest economy, which has been buffeted by the global trade chaos sparked by US President Donald Trump.
Lee scored a thumping victory over conservative Kim Moon-soo, of disgraced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol's former party, in snap elections, with his term beginning immediately after the vote tally was certified early Wednesday.
Lee secured 49.4% of the vote, far ahead of the 41.2% for Kim – who conceded, having been hampered by party infighting and a third-party candidate splitting the right-wing vote.
Lee spoke to South Korea's top military commander and formally assumed operational control of the country's armed forces Wednesday, urging them to maintain 'readiness' in case of Pyongyang provocations – but said in his first comments that he was ready to talk.
'We will heal the wounds of division and war and establish a future of peace and prosperity,' he said.
'No matter how costly, peace is better than war.'
He said the country would 'deter North Korean nuclear and military provocations while opening communication channels and pursuing dialogue and cooperation to build peace on the Korean Peninsula'.
Lee took office just hours before the US was set to slap tariffs of 50% on South Korea's crucial steel and aluminium exports.
'The rapid changes in the global order such as rising protectionism and supply chain restructuring pose a threat to our very survival,' Lee said.
Markets reacted favourably to the election, with the benchmark KOSPI and the won rising Wednesday.
'Significant departure'
Lee's comments on North Korea are a 'significant departure' from those of his hawkish predecessor Yoon, as he did not immediately attach preconditions to dialogue with Pyongyang, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
It signals 'his desire to resolve disagreements through talks', Hong told AFP.
'While it remains to be seen how Pyongyang will respond, it is notable that Lee has clearly indicated a different approach to North Korea,' he added.
Lee held a modest inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly – where Yoon deployed armed troops on the night he attempted to suspend civilian rule.
Just a few hundred guests attended, in contrast to the large outdoor events held after regularly scheduled elections, which often attract tens of thousands.
He will later head to the presidential office to begin naming key cabinet members, with the focus on who is tapped to serve as presidential chief of staff, prime minister and director of the National Intelligence Service.
The day is expected to end with a flurry of congratulatory phone calls from world leaders, with Trump likely to be the first on the line.
Trump's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, was swift to offer his own congratulations and voice hope for working with Lee, who previously has sought greater distance from the US.
Washington's alliance with Seoul was 'ironclad', the US secretary of state said in a statement, citing 'shared values and deep economic ties'.
Lee comes to power with his party already holding a parliamentary majority – secure for the next three years – meaning he is likely to be able to get his legislative agenda done.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Govt denies blocking MTUC from ILC participation, cites internal dispute
The human resources ministry has urged MTUC to expedite its re-election to restore stability to the trade union movement and ensure Malaysia's full participation in the ILC next year. (File pic) PETALING JAYA : The human resources ministry has dismissed claims that the government blocked the participation of labour representatives to the now-concluded 2025 International Labour Conference (ILC). The ministry said the non-representation of workers at the conference held in Geneva was caused by the absence of legitimate leadership in the Malaysian Trade Unions Congress (MTUC), the country's largest trade union umbrella organisation. 'In February, the Court of Appeal ordered MTUC to conduct a re-election of its leadership within 90 days under the watch of a joint special committee,' it said in a statement today. 'This election was later postponed to August, leaving MTUC without a legitimate leadership to represent workers in any official platform.' The ministry stressed that the selection of the Malaysian delegation to the ILC was made transparently under the guidelines of the International Labour Organization, after seeking advice from the Attorney-General's Chambers. It also urged MTUC to expedite its re-election to restore stability to the trade union movement and ensure Malaysia's full participation in the ILC next year. On June 4, Malaysiakini reported that the joint special committee's chairman, J Solomon, denied knowledge of needing to hold an election within three months of the committee's formation. He had earlier criticised the government for failing to register labour delegates for the ILC.
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Insufficient evidence' unacceptable in Teoh Beng Hock NFA, says lawyer
Teoh Beng Hock died on July 16, 2009 at the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, after being questioned for hours by MACC. PETALING JAYA : Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar must provide greater transparency into the Attorney-General's Chambers' (AGC) decision to classify the investigation into Teoh Beng Hock's death as requiring no further action or Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar must provide greater transparency into the Attorney-General's Chambers' (AGC) decision to classify the investigation into Teoh Beng Hock's death as requiring no further action or NFA , said Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh, who is also the family's legal representative. In a statement today, Ramkarpal stressed that the AG's claim of 'insufficient evidence' does little to address the family's long-standing concerns about the quality and thoroughness of the investigations. 'It is disappointing that the AG came to the conclusion that there is insufficient evidence,' he said. 'The AG should disclose further details of his findings, particularly on the question of why he says there is insufficient evidence. 'A general statement to that effect does not, in any way, overcome the family's real concerns that such investigations were not properly and professionally conducted.' The statement follows a letter dated May 30 from Dusuki seeking to explain the AGC's rationale for classifying the case as NFA. Teoh died on July 16, 2009 at the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, after being questioned for hours by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). An inquest into his death was held and the coroner returned an open verdict. However, the Court of Appeal in 2014 ruled that Teoh's death was caused by 'one or more persons unknown', including MACC officers. In 2019, police launched an investigation under Section 342 of the Penal Code for wrongful confinement. Prior to 2018, two special investigation teams were set up – one in 2011 and the other in 2015 – to look into Teoh's death, but both cases were classified as NFA by the public prosecutor. Ramkarpal noted that the AG's justification appeared to rest on a technical distinction – that the Court of Appeal's findings were based on civil, not criminal, standards – and argued that this reasoning is deeply unsatisfactory after over a decade of investigations. He confirmed that Teoh's family is considering a judicial review of the AG's decision and will announce their next steps soon. Teoh's family has long called for accountability and has expressed frustration with repeated delays and lack of resolution in the case.
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
GRS fully prepared for state election, says Hajiji
GRS chairman Hajiji Noor said the coalition remains open to talks on cooperation with BN. (Bernama pic) TUARAN : Gabungan Rakyat Sabah is fully prepared to face the upcoming state election, said its chairman, Hajiji Noor. Hajiji, who is also the chief minister, said GRS has conducted a series of training sessions across constituencies to strengthen the coalition's election machinery ahead of the polls. 'Clearly, GRS is ready. We have established our election machinery and conducted several rounds of training in preparation (for the election). 'However, discussions on seat allocations have yet to take place,' he told reporters after officiating the Aidiladha sacrificial ritual at the Tuaran police headquarters today. The state legislative assembly will automatically dissolve on Nov 11, ending its five-year term beginning on Nov 12, 2020, paving the way for the 17th state election. On cooperation with Barisan Nasional for the polls, Hajiji said GRS remains open to discussions with the party's leaders. 'The last time I met the BN chairman (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) was before the fasting month. While political matters were discussed, there have been no further talks on collaboration or related issues since then. 'There is no issue with meeting (BN). I have great respect for all friends, especially the BN chairman, and we are very open on this matter,' he said. However, he said any party-related matters, including the state election and potential cooperation with other parties, must first be discussed with the GRS Supreme Council before any decisions are made.
