‘Shanti always cheaper than war’: South Korean leader Lee J-Mung pledged to interact with North Korea

Just a day after taking oath as the new President of South Korea, Li J-Mung on Wednesday pledged to interact with North Korea while maintaining a strong military preventive. In a powerful inauguration address at the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly, Lee called for peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, formulating diplomacy as both a moral and strategic imperative.Lee said during the television ceremony participating by around 300 guests, “No matter how expensive it is, peace is still cheaper than war. It is better to win without fighting compared to the struggle, and the most reliable form of security is peace, which requires no fight during television ceremony.”The newly elected leader, who won a landslide, emphasized the post without the transition period after his predecessor Yun Suk Yeol’s impeachment. Yun tried to set up martial law in December, and failed, except for a political vacuum that Li now fills his team without specific time to gather.Addressing MPs in a chamber, where his party has a commanding majority, Lee reiterated South Korea’s readiness to decisively respond to any military or nuclear provocation from Pyongyang. He said, “Our defense budget is equal to the entire GDP of North Korea. We have the fifth largest army in the world,” he said, indicating strength, underlining their desire to keep the communication lines open.In a change from the staunch trend of his predecessor, Lee did not make any predecessor for interaction with the answer. Analysts say it represents a significant change in tone. “This indicates their desire to resolve disagreement through dialogue,” said Hong Min, senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “It is notable that Lee has clearly indicated a different approach to North Korea.”Lee also emphasized the need for a strong alliance with the United States and strengthened tripartite cooperation with Japan, while cautioning against overlapping. “Cooperation with the United States and Japan is necessary,” he said. “But we should not put all our eggs in a basket.”