TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The new president of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, has promised to restart negotiations with North Korea. The goal is to secure peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Lee was sworn in on Wednesday morning, June 4, 2025, after being declared the winner in the snap election the day before. He made these comments while outlining the main policy goals for his five-year term.
In his inaugural speech at the National Assembly, Lee vowed to address the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons and other military threats. He is confident in the support of the military alliance between South Korea and the United States.
However, he also stated that he would restart talks with Pyongyang. He pledged to open communication channels with North Korea and build peace on the Korean Peninsula through negotiations and cooperation.
It is unclear how these negotiations will take place. Pyongyang has refused to engage in talks with Seoul since 2019.
Lee was previously accused of being closer to China and North Korea and distancing himself from the United States and Japan. However, Lee denied this by emphasizing that he wants to enhance cooperation between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo.
"Through pragmatic diplomacy based on national interests, we will turn the crisis posed by the major shift in global economic and security landscapes into an opportunity to maximize our national interests," Lee said, as quoted from Euronews.
Lee's administration faces many challenges, including domestic economic slowdown, US tariff hikes, and a volatile international context. The new leader of South Korea has repeatedly emphasized Seoul's alliance with Washington as the foundation of its foreign policy.
After being elected as the new president of South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba congratulated Lee Jae-myung. He said that he would like to hold high-level talks with Lee as soon as possible to further enhance bilateral relations.
The US Department of State also stated that Seoul and Washington have an "ironclad commitment" to the alliance between the two countries, based on joint defense agreements, shared values, and deep economic ties.
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