New South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol used his inauguration speech Tuesday to advocate for his country playing a larger role in the system of liberal democracies, deploying language similar to that used by Washington when it set out its vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
The pledge could put him on a collision course with China as Beijing¡¯s rivalry with Washington heats up and Yoon looks to cement security ties with South Korea¡¯s ally the United States.
¡°It is incumbent upon us to take on a greater role befitting our stature as a global leader,¡± said Yoon, 61, before an estimated crowd of 41,000 in Seoul that included foreign dignitaries such as Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.S. second gentleman Douglas Emhoff.
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