South Korea’s new Acting President Choi Sang-mok said on Friday he is confident that the country’s economy is resilient and its national security is tight despite growing concerns about political wrangling between the rival parties over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration and his impeachment earlier this month.
“The government will do its utmost to focus on stabilizing state affairs amid ongoing political turbulence,” he said in a written statement addressed to the nation.
Choi, who also doubles as deputy prime minister for economic affairs and finance minister, became the interim leader following the impeachment and suspension of duties of Acting President Han Duck-soo in Parliament earlier in the day.
Han’s ousting marks the first time in the nation’s history that an acting president has been impeached
Choi, the new acting president, emphasized the importance of minimizing the confusion in state affairs.
“The government will do its best to ensure national stability,” he said.
He also apologized as a member of the Cabinet for contributing to the current chaos. He has come under fire over his attendance at a Cabinet meeting shortly before Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3.
Choi reaffirmed the strong alliance between Korea and the US during a phone call with the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman later on Friday.
Separately, he urged the military to remain on high alert, citing the possibility of provocations from North Korea.
“Readiness posture should be maintained to prevent North Korea from making any rash moves and we should uphold a firm security stance based on the strong South Korea-US alliance,” he said.
He instructed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul to maintain close communication channels with partner countries.
He said Seoul’s foreign policy will remain unchanged and Korea’s international exchanges and trade will not be disrupted.
Later Friday, Choi convened the National Security Council to check the country’s security status against North Korea.
By In-Soo Nam
isnam@hankyung.com
Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.
