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Last year, Lee stated in his inauguration speech that pragmatism and the national interest were the guiding principles of his presidency.
On June 4, 2025, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office, stating in his inauguration speech that South Korea stood at “the turning point of a great transformation.”
In both his inauguration and Armed Forces Day speeches, Lee highlighted his administrations’ priorities as managing relationships with Seoul’s neighbors from a “practical, national-interest perspective,” using the ever-changing global security environment to create opportunities, and regaining wartime operational control – also known as OPCON transfer.
One year later and the administration’s pragmatic policies have produced strategic accomplishments.
