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South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol inaugurated as new president, suggests ‘audacious plan’ for denuclearised North Korea economy
- Former president Lee Myung-bak also promised to help the North’s economic growth if it gave up its nuclear drive, but that suggestion was ignored by Pyongyang
- Yoon has criticised the former Moon administration for bowing to China and said Seoul should align its international policy more closely with the US
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South Korea’s new conservative president took the oath of office on Tuesday as former prosecutor-general-turned politician Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn for his five-year term replacing Moon Jae-in.
The country’s 20th president faces several pressing issues, including how to handle nuclear-threatening North Korea and navigating Asia’s fourth-largest economy through a surging rivalry between superpowers.
“It is incumbent upon us to take on a greater role befitting our stature,” he said noting South Korea is the world’s 10th largest economy.
Yoon referred to the global pandemic, interruptions in international trade order and global supply chains, climate changes and food and energy crisis as well as challenges to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes without elaborating.
He earlier attacked the Moon government for appeasing the North and genuflecting toward an assertive China, suggesting Seoul should align its international policy objectives more closely with the United States.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme is a “threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia”, he said, adding “the door to dialogue will remain open” for a peaceful settlement of the dispute.
“If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearisation, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea’s economy and improve the quality of life for its people,” Yoon said.
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