South Korea<\/a>\u2019s new President Lee Jae-myung vowed Wednesday to restart dormant talks with North Korea and bolster a trilateral partnership with the U.S. and Japan, as he laid out key policy goals for his single, five-year term.<\/p>\n Lee, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea\u2019s leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption, began his term earlier Wednesday, hours after winning a snap election that was triggered in April by the removal of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol<\/a> over his ill-fated imposition of martial law<\/a> late last year.<\/p>\n In his inaugural address at the National Assembly, Lee said that his government will deal with North Korean nuclear threats and its potential military aggressions with \u201cstrong deterrence\u201d based on the South Korea-U.S. military alliance. But he said he would \u201copen a communication channel with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n He said he\u2019ll pursue pragmatic diplomacy with neighbouring countries and boost trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough 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,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n It was unclear whether Lee\u2019s election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea\u2019s foreign policy. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has recently repeatedly stressed South Korea\u2019s alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy and avoided any contentious remarks that would raise questions on his views on the U.S. and Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll have to now see if the pressures of office will cause Lee Jae-myung to govern from the centre \u2014 at least when it comes to matters of national security and the alliance with the United States,\u201d said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d21y75miwcfqoq.cloudfront.net\/70c8fc80\")
\n\t\t\t\tSecurity and economic challenges lie ahead\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Click](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/media.globalnews.ca\/videostatic\/news\/gm9936wwyz-p272y777ox\/ONLINE_STILL_SK_ELECTION.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t