Yoon Suk Yeol is South Korea's new president, PM Modi sends his best wishes

Seoul: Conservative Yoon Suk Yeol took office as South Korea's president on Tuesday, facing a tougher mix of foreign policy and domestic challenges than other recent South Korean leaders encountered at the start of their presidencies. The former top prosecutor began his five-year term at midnight by taking command of South Korea's 555,000-member military and receiving a briefing on North Korea from his military chief at the new presidential office in central Seoul, formerly the Defence Ministry building.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Yoon Suk Yeol for being elected as South Korea`s new President and expressed a desire to strengthen ties between both the countries. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, "I extend my heartfelt greetings and good wishes to ROK President @sukyeol__yoon as he commences his term in office today. I look forward to meeting him soon and working together to further strengthen and enrich the India-ROK ties."

 

I extend my heartfelt greetings and good wishes to ROK President @sukyeol__yoon as he commences his term in office today. I look forward to meeting him soon and working together to further strengthen and enrich the India-ROK ties. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 10, 2022

After being sworn in at a ceremony in front of parliament in Seoul, Yoon said that North Korea's weapons programmes pose a threat but that he is ready to provide an "audacious" economic plan if the North is committed to denuclearisation.

Yoon won a tight election in March as the standard-bearer of the main conservative People Power Party, less than a year after entering politics after a 26-year career as a prosecutor. Yoon, 61, will face two major problems as he takes office - a belligerent North Korea testing new weapons and inflation threatening to undermine an economic recovery from two years of Covid-19 gloom.

He has signalled a tougher line on North Korea, warning of a preemptive strike if there is a sign of its imminent attack, but his speech was seen highlighting more his willingness to reopen stalled denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang. "While North Korea's nuclear weapon programs are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat," Yoon said.

Also read: Sri Lanka crisis: Rajapaksa's ancestral home set on fire, a ruling-party MP killed - 10 updates

"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," he added.
Yoon won the election on a platform of fighting corruption and creating a more level economic playing field amid deepening public frustration with inequality and housing prices, as well as simmering gender and generational rivalry.

(With inputs from Agencies)