South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung said he will work closely with Japan and the United States to strengthen security in the Indo-Pacific.
Lee began his single five-year term in June 2025. He served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2018 to 2021 and previously worked as a human rights and labor attorney.
Lee said he will counter North Korea’s threats and military aggression with “strong deterrence” based on the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. military alliance. He will also work to “open a communication channel with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and cooperation,” The Associated Press (AP) reported.
North Korea has shunned talks with South Korea and the U.S. since 2019, and in recent months has supplied troops and weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine. South Korea, the U.S. and other nations suspect Russia may be transferring technology to North Korea that it can use to develop its nuclear program.
During a phone conversation with Adm. Kim Myung-soo, ROK joint chiefs of staff chairman, Lee called for “watertight” military readiness. Lee has appointed Wi Sung-lac, a retired diplomat with experience in North Korean and Russian affairs, as national security advisor, according to Yonhap News Agency. Wi served as the first secretary at the South Korean Embassy in Russia and, in 2009, served as South Korea’s negotiator in nuclear talks with Pyongyang.
“Based on his extensive policy experience and expertise in foreign and security affairs, I believe he will play a key role in achieving our national goals of pragmatic diplomacy, advanced defense and a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula,” Lee said, announcing Wi’s appointment. He was also filling other key staff positions and arranging telephone conversations with several world leaders, a presidential spokesperson said, according to the Korea Herald newspaper. He also said he will work to strengthen “pragmatic diplomacy” with neighboring countries and boost trilateral Seoul-Tokyo-Washington cooperation.
“Through pragmatic diplomacy based on national interests, we will turn the crisis posed by the major shift in global economic and security landscapes into an opportunity to maximize our national interests,” Lee said, according to the AP.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he wants to hold summit talks with Lee “as early as possible,” saying he hopes to further promote bilateral ties. The U.S. State Department said that Seoul and Washington share “an ironclad commitment” to the U.S.-ROK alliance.
“The president urged the military to maintain a watertight readiness posture by closely monitoring developments in North Korea, grounded in the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture,” the South Korean presidential office said in a statement, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Korea and Japan “share common interests,” Lee said. “Consistency in state-to-state relations is especially important.”