Lee enters office at a time when the country is grappling with deep divisions
Just hours after triumphing in the South Korean presidency, Lee Jae-myung pledged to “unite the humans” in his inauguration speech on Wednesday.
Lee takes office at a time when the state is still suffering from deep divisions that have been exacerbated by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s unexpected declaration of a state of emergency in December. He advised a National Assembly audience, “I will begin with reviving the economic system and recovering the people.” “No matter who you voted for in this election… I can be the president of all the humans.”
Lee, who ran as a member of the liberal Democratic Party, gained nearly 1/2 of the votes cast. He blamed the country’s political turmoil on “political factions and not a desire to work for the lives of the human beings”.
He said that he could “turn out to be a president who ends the politics of division” and would “paint to unite the humans.” He has to deal with more than simply domestic troubles, although. Lee has pressing overseas challenges as well – including navigating the US-Korea alliance under the new Trump administration, balancing its members with China, and dealing with its closest neighbour, North Korea.
Additionally, Lee announced that an emergency financial assignment pressure would be “activated immediately” and that he might establish a “flexible, pragmatic authority.”
Asia
South Korea