Lee: 'Protectionism threatens our survival'. And opens up to North Korea
The new South Korean president promises to strengthen the trilateral partnership with the US and Japan, outlining the key policy goals of his five-year term
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2' min read
From our correspondent
SEUL - In his first speech before the National Assembly, new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung promised to revive the economy, restart talks with North Korea and strengthen the trilateral partnership with the United States and Japan, outlining the key policy goals of his five-year term.
Lee said that his government will address the risk of possible aggression from North Korea with a 'strong deterrence' based on its solid military alliance with Washington. However, he added that he will 'open a channel of communication' with Pyongyang with the desire to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through cooperation. Dialogue with the North has traditionally been one of the cornerstones of the foreign policy of Lee's Democratic Party of Korea.
The new president added that he will pursue pragmatic diplomacy with neighbouring countries and strengthen trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo based on the strong alliance between South Korea and the US.
"Through diplomacy based on national interests, we will turn the crisis caused by the great change in the global economic and security landscape into an opportunity to maximise our national interests," Lee said. "Rapid changes in the global order, such as increasing protectionism and supply chain restructuring, pose a threat to our very survival," Lee added, on the trade chaos triggered by Donald Trump's tariffs.
