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• Lee lauds South Korea’s military for ‘passively responding to an unlawful order’ by his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol

ISTANBUL

South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday appointed top campaign aide Kim Min-seok as prime minister, his first Cabinet nomination made just hours after being sworn into office.

Lee, 61, secured victory in Tuesday’s snap presidential election with 49.42% of the vote, winning over 17 million ballots in an election that saw the highest turnout in 28 years—79.4%.

The early election was prompted by the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol following a failed attempt to impose martial law in December.

​​​​The outgoing Cabinet, led by interim President Lee Joo-h,o has submitted its resignation.

Premier Kim is a four-time lawmaker, a strategist, and a democracy activist.

Lee, in his first executive order, formed an "emergency economic inspection task force" as the Democratic Party president aims to revive the economy, create jobs.

Lee also named former Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok as head of the National Intelligence Service, seasoned diplomat Wi Sung-lac as his national security adviser, and three-term lawmaker Kang Hoon-sik of the Democratic Party as his chief of staff.

Wi is a known expert on Russia and North Korea affairs.

A former human rights lawyer, Lee campaigned on a platform of restoring dialogue and “co-prosperity” with North Korea to ensure long-term stability on the Korean Peninsula.

He has also pledged to address South Korea’s economic challenges, including sluggish growth and trade tensions, particularly with the US over proposed tariffs.

Lee hails army over martial law bid

Two hours after assuming presidential office, Lee praised South Korea’s military for “passively responding to an unlawful order” by his predecessor, Yoon, Yonhap News reported.

Yoon had sent troops to parliament allegedly to block lawmakers from convening a session to upend his martial move, which the parliamentarians successfully did.

"The troops' attitude helped prevent major unrest during the emergency,” Lee’s office said after a phone conversation with Adm. Kim Myung-soo, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff (JCS) of South Korea’s armed forces.

Many military commanders were sacked and are being probed for their role in the failed martial law bid, while Yoon's former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was arrested and remains in jail.

Then Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Park An-su, who was appointed as martial law commander by Yoon, is the highest-ranking service member and the only four-star general to be under investigation over martial law.

Lee, however, told the JCS Kim to maintain “watertight" military readiness.

The president urged the military to “maintain a watertight readiness posture by closely monitoring developments in North Korea, grounded in the South Korea-US combined defense posture," the presidential office said.

Ties between the divided Koreas nosedived under Yoon, who had threatened to eliminate the regime in Pyongyang, while North Korea declared South Korea a hostile nation, ending decades of vows for peaceful reunification.

Unlike past transitions, Lee assumed office immediately after the vote, bypassing the traditional 60-day handover period. He is the first president from the Democratic Party to begin his term with a friendly legislature.

While the South Korean president serves as the chief executive, the prime minister oversees day-to-day governance in the country of 52 million people.