[Photo by Namgung Jin-ung = timeid@ajunews.com]
Moon Jae-in took office Wednesday as South Korea's new president after a comfortable victory in an election that ended a protracted leadership vacuum and political turmoil triggered by a corruption scandal engulfing his conservative predecessor.
Moon's single five-year term began officially after a state election watchdog completed vote counting and confirmed his victory. After visiting the national cemetery, he will be sworn in an informal ceremony in parliament at noon.
He delivered his first presidential order from his home in Seoul after receiving a telephone report by Lee Sun-jin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the movement of North Korean troops. "As president, I trust the capability of our army," Moon said, urging soldiers to maintain a tight security shield.
With no time to form a transition team, the first thing he should do is naming a new cabinet and his figurehead prime minister.
"I will carry out the double task of reform and integration aspired by the people," the 64-year-old liberal candidate from the Democratic Party said in a speech in downtown Seoul, vowing to open a new country based on "justice and principle".
Moon garnered 41.1 percent of votes cast Tuesday, well ahead of Hong Joon-pyo, the conservative runner-up from the Liberty Korea Party launched by the supporters of jailed ex-president Park Geun-hye. Hong took 24.03 percent while Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party, a splinter opposition group, was third with 21.41 percent.
Moon's victory was widely anticipated as he has been an outright leader in opinion polls from the outset of the race that began after Park was expelled from office on March 10.
Park, who took office in early 2013, is on trial on charges of abusing her power and conspiring with her crony, Choi Soon-sil, to extort money from Samsung and other top conglomerates in return for business favors. She was impeached on December 9 at the height of anti-government protests.
The election came amid widespread public aspirations to end deep-rooted collusion between politicians and businessmen that actually began with South Korea's rapid economic growth and industrialization under the rule of Park's father, Park Chung-hee, who seized power through a coup in 1961.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
