Lee made his speech in his inaugural address on Wednesday, just hours after being declared the winner of South Korea’s presidential election.
“The rapid changes in global order, such as rising protectionism and supply chain restructuring, pose a threat to our survival,” he said.
Lee further said, “The most pressing issue is trade negotiations with the United States,” and promised to strengthen the trilateral partnership between Washington and Japan.
He also pledged to build a “flexible and practical government” and added that the emergency economic task force will be “invigorated soon” with a focus on fighting inequality and corruption.
Where in his remarks, Lee said his government would deal with what he described as a potential North Korean invasion with “strong deterrence” based on the South Korean and US military alliance.
However, he said he would leave the door open for dialogue with the North and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Meanwhile, an unknown White House official said the US “is concerned and opposed China’s interference and influence in democracy around the world” following Lee’s victory.
However, officials did not detail comments or link directly to Tuesday’s election.
The White House comments sparked a surprise among Korean politicians amid reports that Donald Trump’s allies tried to trust Lee, who said they had balanced their country’s relationship with the US and China.
Seoul’s presidential office responded with caution to the White House comments, saying it was “under review.”
Opposition Democrat Lee was elected president on Tuesday after months of political turmoil at home, beating conservative People’s Rights Party (PPP) Kim Moons.
He won a landslide victory in an election caused by the short-lived imposition of martial law in December by former President Yukyoll.
The market responded favorably to the election, with benchmarks Kospi and Wong (Korea’s official currency) rising on Wednesday.
The South Korean president serves a five-year term without the possibility of re-election.
MNA/