South Korea's new leader vows to 'heal wounds' with North
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 on Wednesday, after winning a snap election 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" pose 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 the snap poll, with his term beginning immediately after the vote tally was certified early on Wednesday. Lee secured 49.4 per cent of the vote, far ahead of the 41.2 per cent 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 on Wednesday, urging them to maintain "readiness" in case of Pyongyang's 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 Seoul 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 United States was set to slap tariffs of 50 per cent 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 on Wednesday.
Lee's comments on North Korea are a "significant departure" from those of his hawkish predecessor as he did not immediately attach preconditions to dialogue, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification. It signals "his desire to resolve disagreements through talks", Hong said.
Lee held a modest inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly — where Yoon deployed armed troops on the night he attempted to suspend civilian rule. He also announced a number of top appointments, including long-time adviser Kim Min-seok as prime minister and former unification minister Lee Jong-Seok as spy chief. Lee's 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 United States. Washington's alliance with Seoul was "ironclad", the US secretary of state said in a statement, citing "shared values and deep economic ties".
In a statement to Seoul's Yonhap news agency, the White House described the election as "free and fair". But it added: "The United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world". Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also said he wanted to "energise cooperation" between Seoul and Tokyo, South Korea's former colonial master. And India's Narendra Modi said on X he wanted to "strengthen" ties with Seoul as he congratulated Lee.
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. On the streets of Seoul, South Koreans said they welcomed Lee's overtures to the North. "Since our economy and many other aspects of society are closely linked to the state of inter-Korean relations, I hope we can take a long-term perspective and move in a more positive direction," Choi Ki-ho, 55, saod. Lee Ju-Yeon, a 42-year-old quasi-public sector employee, said they hoped Lee "will devote himself to uniting our divided nation". — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
12 hours ago
- Observer
Trump and Xi agree to more talks as trade disputes brew
WASHINGTON/BEIJING: US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping confronted weeks of brewing trade tensions and a battle over critical minerals in a rare leader-to-leader call on Thursday that left key issues to further talks. During the more than one-hour-long call, Xi told Trump to back down from trade measures that roiled the global economy and warned him against threatening steps on Taiwan, according to a Chinese government summary. But Trump said on social media that the talks focused primarily on trade led to "a very positive conclusion," announcing further lower-level US-China discussions, and that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." He later told reporters: "We're in very good shape with China and the trade deal." The leaders also invited each other to visit their respective countries. The highly anticipated call came in the middle of a dispute between Washington and Beijing in recent weeks over "rare earths" minerals that threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war between the two biggest economies. It was not clear from either countries' statements that the issue had been resolved. A US delegation led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts "shortly at a location to be determined," Trump said on social media. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump's January inauguration. Though stocks rallied, the temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives. Major US stock indexes were higher on Thursday. China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets continues to disrupt supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Beijing sees mineral exports as a source of leverage - halting those exports could put domestic political pressure on the Republican US president if economic growth sags because companies cannot make mineral-powered products. — Reuters
Observer
16 hours ago
- Observer
Trump slaps new travel ban on 12 countries
Washington: US President Donald Trump signed a new travel ban that comes into effect on Monday targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen, reviving one of the most controversial measures from his first term. Trump said on Wednesday the measure was spurred by a makeshift flamethrower attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that US authorities blamed on a man they said was in the country illegally. The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White House. Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be allowed. "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted," Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office posted on X. "We don't want them." However, the ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order said. Trump announced separately on Wednesday a ban on visas for foreign students who are set to begin attending Harvard University, ramping up his crackdown on what he regards as a bastion of liberalism. The US leader compared the new measures to the ban he imposed on a number of mainly Muslim countries in his first term, which caused travel chaos across the world. Trump said that 2017 ban had stopped the United States from suffering terror attacks that happened in Europe. "We will not let what happened in Europe happen in America," Trump said. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen." Venezuela hit back by warning that the United States itself was a dangerous destination. "Being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said after the announcement, warning Venezuelan citizens against travel there. Amnesty International USA condemned Trump's new travel ban in a post on X, calling it "discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel." It said that "by targeting people based on their nationality, this ban only spreads disinformation and hate." The ban could face legal challenges, as have many of the drastic measures Trump has taken since his whirlwind return to office in January. Rumors of a new Trump travel ban had circulated following the attack in Colorado, with his administration vowing to pursue "terrorists" living in the United States on visas. Suspect Mohammed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, is alleged to have thrown fire bombs and sprayed burning gasoline at a group of people who had gathered on Sunday in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. US Homeland Security officials said Soliman was in the country illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. "President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm," White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said on X. Trump's proclamation gave specific reasons for each country in his proclamation, which says it is aimed at protecting the United States from "foreign terrorists and other national security" threats. Egypt was notably not on the list of countries facing travel restrictions. The proclamation said Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen lacked "competent" central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Iran, with which the United States is in negotiations on a possible nuclear deal, was included because it is a "state sponsor of terrorism," the order said. "The impact of the ban will once again be felt by Americans who were denied the ability to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child," said National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi. For most of the other countries, Trump's order cited an above-average likelihood that people would overstay their visas. — AFP
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Bulgaria hails 'remarkable day' after EU green light
SOFIA: Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov said the EU's green light on Wednesday for the Balkan country to adopt the euro next year confirmed its progress. "A remarkable day. Another step forward on Bulgaria's path to the euro... This follows years of reforms, commitment and alignment with our European partners," he said in a post on X. The EU gave the green light on Wednesday for Bulgaria to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, putting the Balkan country on course to become the 21st member of the single currency area. The European Commission said Bulgaria had fulfilled the strict criteria "intended to ensure that a country is ready to adopt the euro and that its economy is sufficiently prepared to do so". About 1,000 people demonstrated on Wednesday in front of the National Assembly building in the centre of Sofia, holding signs that read "Preserve the Bulgarian lev," "No to the euro," and "The future belongs to sovereign states." The gathering was organised by the opposition pro-Russian Vazrajdane party. — AFP
