SEOUL, March 10 (BNA) – South Korean President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol said Thursday that he will strengthen his alliance with the United States, build a strong army and deal firmly with North Korean provocations, hours after winning a difficult election. to become the next leader of the country.
Yun, a conservative whose only five-year term begins in May, said during the election campaign that he would forge a stronger alliance with the United States at the center of his foreign policy.
After winning the election, he spoke with US President Joe Biden on the phone. According to the White House statement, Biden congratulated Yun and affirmed the United States’ commitment to defending South Korea.
On Japan, Yoon said Seoul and Tokyo should focus on building future-oriented relations. “The focus in South Korea-Japan relations should be on finding future paths that will benefit the peoples of the two countries,” he said.
Yoon, who ran for the main opposition party ticket, previously served as Moon’s attorney general. But he left Moon’s government and joined the opposition last year.
Wednesday’s election was largely a two-way showdown between Yoon and ruling Liberal Party candidate Lee Jae-myung.
Yoon has focused most of his campaign on a pledge to create more jobs and restore social mobility by creating a fairer competitive environment for young people.
On domestic issues, Yun faces urgent tasks to quell the record-breaking COVID-19 surge, ease widening economic disparities and runaway home prices, and heal a nation sharply divided along territorial lines, ideologies, age and gender.
Yoon said building a better response to the pandemic would be a priority for his transition committee, which will draw up plans to boost the country’s medical capabilities and create more effective financial packages to help devastated service sector businesses.
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