South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung says he’ll bolster US-Japan ties and pursue talks with North
Jun 3, 2025, 7:42 PM | Updated: Jun 4, 2025, 3:06 am
South Korea's newly-elected President Lee Jae-myung takes his oath during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Anthony Wallace/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Anthony Wallace/Pool Photo via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s new President Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday he’ll pursue dialogue with North Korea while bolstering a trilateral partnership with the U.S. and Japan.
He said in his inaugural address after taking office that his government will deal with potential North Korean aggressions with “a strong deterrence” based on the solid South Korea-U.S. military alliance. But he would also leave the door open for dialogue with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
He said he’ll pursue pragmatic diplomacy and boost a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Lee won a snap election Tuesday for a five-year term.
