Trump’s Trade War Threatens South Korea’s ‘Survival’: New President

By Staff, Agencies

Newly-elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has warned that the global trade chaos sparked by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs poses a threat to his country’s survival.  

Lee made the remarks in his inaugural address on Wednesday, just hours after he was declared winner of South Korea’s presidential election.

“The rapid changes in the global order such as rising protectionism and supply chain restructuring pose a threat to our very survival,” he said.

Lee further stated that "the most pressing matter is trade negotiations with the United States," promising that he would bolster a trilateral partnership with Washington and Japan.

He also pledged to build a "flexible, pragmatic government," adding that an emergency economic task force would be "activated immediately" with a focus on fighting inequality and corruption.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lee said his government would deal with what he described as potential North Korean aggression with “a strong deterrence” based on the South Korea-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 unnamed White House official said the US is “concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world” following Lee’s victory.

The official, however, did not elaborate or directly link the comment to Tuesday’s election, which they described as “free and fair.”

The White House comment sparked consternation among South Korean politicians, amid reports that Donald Trump's allies have sought to discredit Lee, who has spoken of balancing his country’s relationship with the US and China.

The presidential office in Seoul gave a cautious response to the White House comment, saying only that it was “under review.”