South Korea To Assist North In Case Of Its Denuclearization - President

SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) Newly elected South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to facilitate the North's development if the country carries out denuclearization, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Tuesday.

Yoon has called on North Korea to "halt the development of nuclear weapons and take on denuclearization," promising to work toward a negotiation process during his inauguration ceremony.

"I will leave the door open for dialogue with North Korea about its development of nuclear weapons, threatening global peace and Asia, for the benefit of a peaceful solution," the president-elect said.

He also that the North's denuclearization "will not only establish a long-term peace on the peninsula, but will also greatly contribute to Asia's and global peace and prosperity," adding that the South will "improve the living standards of the North Koreans in cooperation with the world community."

The inauguration ceremony started at 11 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) near the parliament's building, involving about 40,000 people.

Foreign delegations from the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Uzbekistan, as well as US Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, China's Vice President Wang Qishan, and Singaporean President Halimah Yacob were invited to attend the event.

The presidential election in South Korea, held in March, had 77.1% voter turnout, with over 34 million people casting their ballots out of about 44 million eligible voters. Yoon gained 48.56% of the votes, followed by Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party with 47.83%.