Lee Jae Myung calls South Korean presidential office a ‘graveyard' amid shambolic handover of power
The newly sworn-in president of South Korea quipped that the presidential office left behind by ousted leader Yoon Suk Yeol felt like a 'graveyard' on his first day of office, with not even a pencil left behind.
Lee Jae Myung took office on Wednesday after winning the snap presidential election with a significant margin over his rival Kim Moon Soo, riding a wave of anger after Mr Yoon's 3 December martial law bid threw the country into chaos.
The new leader appeared baffled at the lack of preparation at the presidential Yongsan office after finding that it was stripped of computers, printers and even pens.
'I just came to the Yongsan office, and it's like a graveyard. There's nothing, not even an employee to give me something to write. No computers, or even printers,' he said in his inaugural address.
'It's absolutely ridiculous.'
Kang Yu Jung, the new spokesperson for Mr Lee's presidential office, said it ceased functioning after Mr Yoon was impeached by parliament on 14 December and did not have any system in place to continue working in his absence or sign off key documents.
Ms Kang said that the previous administration did not leave transition instructions for the incoming administration.
Mr Yoon moved out of the official presidential palace known as the Blue House after his election victory in 2022, becoming the first leader in the country's modern history to shun the iconic location. He instead moved to a new office inside a former defence ministry building in Yongsan, Seoul.
The new president hinted on the campaign trail that he is likely to return to the Blue House, also known as Cheong Wa Dae, after renovations, and reportedly described the Yongsan residence a security nightmare. The transition is likely to take up to six months.
Mr Lee has instructed some of officials who were working in the presidential office, but had gone back to their parent ministries or departments after Mr Yoon was impeached, to come back and resume their roles in his office, Ms Kang said.
Mr Lee has entered office in a country facing a number of challenges after Mr Yoon's martial law bid left a deeply scarred and polarised country. The president will have to revive the economy and work with unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally.
Mr Lee on Wednesday announced his administration's first key appointments. Kim Min Seok was appointed as the prime minister, and Kang Hoon Sik as chief of staff.
The prime minister said the country was facing even more economic turmoil than during the Asian financial crisis of 1997, complicated by unfavourable external factors.
"Today, the economy is heading downward and stagnating, which is why I believe it's much more difficult," he told reporters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
North Korea internet hit by a major outage, analyst says
SEOUL, June 7 (Reuters) - North Korea's internet is experiencing a major outage on Saturday, said a UK-based researcher, adding that the cause may be may be internal rather than a cyberattack. North Korea's main news web sites and its Foreign Ministry internet site were inaccessible on Saturday morning, according to checks by Reuters. "A major outage is currently occurring on North Korea's internet - affecting all routes whether they come in via China or Russia," said Junade Ali, a U.K.-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet. North Korea's entire internet infrastructure is not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, he said. "Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack," he said. Officials at South Korea's Police cyber terror response centre which monitors North Korea's cyber activities could not be reached for comment.
The Herald Scotland
17 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Council forced to U-turn on nursery mothballing plans
Despite previously insisting that the closures would go ahead, council officials have now indicated that they will abandon the plans and seek a review of the authority's approach to mothballing. In response to multiple requests to explain why unelected officers were able to make decisions on mothballing without consultation, a council spokesperson had previously suggested that government guidance – which includes clear instructions to consult with communities on any such decision – does not apply to nurseries, meaning that they did not need to discuss the matter with families before implementing the changes. In recent days, however, the council has come under increasing pressure over its plans. The matter has been raised in the Scottish Parliament, and government officials recently wrote to the council to warn that the proposals were not in line with statutory requirements. In a letter to Laurence Findlay, the Director for Education and Children's Services at Aberdeenshire Council, a government official explicitly stated that mothballing guidance applies to council-run nurseries, and highlighted a section of the document stating that any mothballing decision 'should be taken in consultation with the parents involved.' The government's letter also raised concerns about the mothballing of another nursery in 2024 which has since been removed from the options that parents can choose from when applying for a space for their child. Scottish Conservatives MSP Alexander Burnett has also written to the administration, which is led by councillors from his own party. His email, which has been seen by The Herald, sharply criticised several aspects of the council's approach and urged them to abandon the mothballing proposals. In addition to this, The Herald has been shown email correspondence in which the council is explicitly advised by a solicitor acting for parents that they considered the plans "unlawful". Officials are asked to state whether they agree with this, in which case they would have had to advise councillors of this, or disagree, in which case there would be no reason for families to delay further legal action. Opposition councillors had successfully demanded a special meeting of the council take place to consider the matter, with the session planned for Monday 9 June. When The Herald approached the council about this matter earlier today an official declined to comment, stating that they did not wish to 'pre-empt' any decisions that might be made by elected representatives. However, by mid-afternoon this position had changed, and the council's press team issued a release stating that the administration now intends to abandon the controversial mothballing plans: 'The Administration is minded to seek a review of our mothballing guidance to incorporate a consultation process with parents. 'We acknowledge the strong feelings concerning the four settings and appreciate the concerns of parents who highly value their local early learning facilities. We are trying to balance the needs of children and families, with a challenging financial position – but it is critical we do this in the right way. 'We will be recommending that we pause planning for all future mothballing activity currently underway, whilst we examine the guidance. Whilst we have been engaging with parents, we need to consult at a much earlier stage to inform the decision-making process, and we will explore how to integrate this into the procedure. 'We will also recommend reversing the budget decision identifying this as a saving in our 2025/26 budget process and seek to identify the saving from elsewhere. 'We are taking the unusual step of announcing our intention prior to the meeting in the hope that we remove further anxiety for the people who have made requests to speak.' The original proposals had been strongly opposed by SNP and some independent councillors who have welcomed the U-turn. Commenting, SNP Education and Children's Spokesperson, Cllr Louise McAllister, said: 'The decision to mothball these nurseries, without consultation or democratic oversight, was wrong from the get go, and that is a point we have strived to make since the announcements in April. 'As well as the U-turn on mothballing, I sincerely hope that the administration also accept that these decisions need to be fully returned to the hands of elected members, so that we can truly be a voice for the communities we represent. 'Whilst I am delighted for the children who can now continue to access their childcare provision in these settings, I think the administration must acknowledge and apologise for the hurt and distress caused by this short sighted decision making.' SNP Deputy Education and Children's Spokesperson, Cllr Jenny Nicol, added: 'From the outset we have voted against mothballing decisions being made by officers, and consistently challenged a process that lacked proper consultation and failed to consider the long term impact on rural families. 'For too long, decisions were being made behind closed doors, without the input of those most affected and facing the traumatic realities of mothballing. This reversal shows what can be achieved when communities stand up and are supported by Councillors who put people before 'process'.' 'We welcome this shift, but it must now be followed by a full review of the guidance and a genuine commitment to rural early years provision going forward.' SNP Cllr Dawn Black, who represents Stonehaven and Lower Deeside, praised local communities who 'have stepped up and fought this campaign so passionately and so successfully.' 'As Councillors our hands have been tied to a certain extent and we have done all we can to push this issue forward – and finally we see some change. We could not have done that without the dedication of local voices who took the time to email and speak with individual Councillors and at the education committee. 'Regardless of guidance from elsewhere, as a council we should want to consult with communities – to work with them to find sustainable ways forward – that should have already been in our guidance. Instead the Tory-led administration have tried to force change on communities, whilst hiding behind officers, and have realised that people just will not stand for it.'
Reuters
17 hours ago
- Reuters
Trump and South Korea's new President Lee speak by phone, Lee's office says
SEOUL, June 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung has spoken by phone to U.S. President Donald Trump, Lee's office said on Friday. In the call, Trump and Lee resolved to make an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on tariffs as soon as possible, and decided to encourage working-level negotiations to yield tangible results, Lee's office said in a statement. Trump also invited Lee to the United States and agreed to meet at the earliest opportunity - in a multilateral format or on bilateral visit for more in-depth consultations on the development of the alliance between the two countries, Lee's office said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the call. Lee was elected in a June 3 snap election after the U.S. ally's former leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached and ousted. Lee's term began on Wednesday.
