Overview

• Lee was sworn in at 6:21 a.m. on June 4 after the National Election Commission certified his snap election victory over conservative opponent Kim Moon-soo.
• In his inaugural address, he vowed to reopen communication channels with North Korea, bolster deterrence through the U.S. alliance and deepen trilateral cooperation with Japan.
• He immediately established an emergency economic task force to confront recession risks and pledged aggressive government spending to spur growth.
• Despite facing five ongoing corruption trials, Lee benefits from presidential immunity under the constitution, pausing his prosecutions for the duration of his term.
• Lee moved swiftly to assemble his administration by nominating Kim Min-seok as prime minister and former Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok as head of the National Intelligence Service.