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Moon Jae-in is sworn in as president

Moon Jae-in was sworn in for a five-year term as the 19th President of the Republic of Korea in an oath-taking ceremony at the National Assembly on May 10.

Following the ceremony at the Central Hall of the National Assembly Building in Seoul’s Yeouido neighborhood at noon, Moon delivered a message to the public stressing “unity and coexistence.”

“My heart beats with a passion to create a country that we have never before experienced,” Moon said.

“In this election, there are no winners or losers. We are companions who must usher in a new Republic of Korea together,” he added.

Moon went on to say the South Korean public had “chosen their new president in this election with uniform support from all over the country.”

“As of today, I will be a president for all the people. I will serve even the people who did not support me as my people, as our people,” he said.

“I’m going to eliminate the culture of the authoritarian president. As soon as everything is read, I will emerge from the current Blue House and bring in the age of the ‘Gwanghwamun president.’ I will discuss matters with my advisors, face to face and shoulder to shoulder. I will be a president who regularly communicates with the public,” Moon continued.

“I will distribute the imperial powers of the president as much as possible. I will completely liberate government agencies from politics. I will create checks and balances so that no agency can exercise absolute power,” he said. This made clear that Moon intends to reform government agencies including the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the prosecutors and the police. “I will also take the lead in reforming the chaebol. During the Moon administration, the phrase ‘cozy relations between big business and the government’ will completely disappear,” he said.

In connection with resolving the security crisis, the greatest issue affecting South Korea today, Moon said, “I will apply myself to bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula. If necessary, I will fly straight to Washington. I will go to Beijing and Tokyo and, if the conditions are right, to Pyongyang as well,” he said. He also emphasized that he would “engage in serious negotiations with the US and with China to find a solution to the THAAD issue.”

In a congratulatory cable sent to Moon, Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested that they “appropriately deal with disagreements on the basis of mutual interests and respect and to increase collaboration and cooperation.” The remarks appear to hint at a thaw in China-ROK relations, which have been damaged by THAAD and other issues.

In addition to this, Moon promised to hold regular meetings with the opposition party, to focus on appointing talented individuals and to strive to create jobs. “I will do my best to be a president who will be deemed a success by Koreans and by history,” he promised.

Moon has also begun appointing officials and organizing his administration. During a press conference held at the Blue House the same afternoon, he announced the nomination of Lee Nak-yon as Prime Minister and Suh Hoon as NIS Director and the appointment of Im Jong-seok as Blue House Chief of Staff and Joo Young-hoon as Blue House Chief of Security. “Since we are currently in an emergency transitional period that demands the prompt stabilization of the affairs of government, I will hasten to set up a competent cabinet, a unified cabinet,” Moon said.

Moon continued to his office in the Blue House to issue his first order as president - establishing a jobs committee. This is seen to signify his commitment to the pledge he made during his campaign to create jobs, and to make job creation a key aspect of his presidency.

By Choi Hye-jung, staff reporter

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