South Korea’s new President Lee vows to revive democracy from ‘near demise’

“DEAL WITH TRUMP”

In a bid to fill a long-running power vacuum, Lee nominated Kim Min-seok, a four-time lawmaker, as his prime minister on Tuesday.

He also announced former unification minister Lee Jong-seok as spy chief.

Kim made waves when he predicted in August last year that Yoon may declare martial law, roughly three months before Yoon’s short-lived decree to impose martial law.

The government under a caretaker acting president had made little progress in trying to assuage crushing tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump that would hit some of the country’s major industries, including autos and steel.

“President Lee will find himself with little to no time to spare before tackling the most important task of his early presidency: reaching a deal with Trump,” the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Lee on his election win and said the countries “share an ironclad commitment” to their alliance grounded on shared values, and deep economic ties.

The White House said the election of Lee was “free and fair” but the United States remained concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world, according to a White House official.

Lee has expressed more conciliatory plans for ties with China and North Korea, in particular singling out the importance of China as a major trading partner while indicating reluctance to take a firm stance on security tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Still, Lee has pledged to continue Yoon’s engagement with Japan and said the alliance with the United States is the backbone of South Korea’s global diplomacy.