What new South Korean president's foreign policy will look like

Meanwhile the president's first diplomatic engagement may be a phone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump as early as this evening.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji covers this possible exchange and more.

South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung, has vowed to focus on foreign policy that puts national interests first.

In an address to the public upon taking office, he said he will focus on "pragmatic diplomacy."

"Through pragmatic diplomacy focused on national interests, we will turn the global economic and security crisis into an opportunity to maximize our national interests. We will strengthen the trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan based on a solid South Korea-U.S. alliance, while managing relations with neighboring countries in a practical and national interest-based perspective."

Throughout his campaign, Lee repeatedly called for a balance in diplomacy, so that the country can continue to develop an alliance with the U.S. in the long term, while not neglecting ties with China and Russia at the same time.

Lee is expected to hold a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump as early as Wednesday night on day one of his presidency.

While the call will likely be focused on congratulating Lee on his inauguration, there is a possibility that they'll discuss bilateral issues such as tariffs and North Korea's nuclear threats.

Lee, who has earlier pledged to open communication channels with North Korea, will also seek ways to build peace on the Korean Peninsula.

On his first day in office, he ordered the country's head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to maintain strong defense readiness.

"Given the current fluid situation, I ask that you closely monitor North Korea's military movements based on South Korea and the U.S. combined defense readiness, and maintain a strong defense posture."

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday local time congratulated Lee on his election win, while noting that the two countries share a strong commitment to their alliance.

It also said Washington will continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with Japan.

According to Reuters, the White House reacted by saying that although South Korea's election was free and fair, it said it remains concerned about Chinese interference in democracies around the world.

Separately, China's Xinhua state news agency said Xi Jinping also sent a congratulatory message to the new South Korean president.

With tariffs and the potential reduction of U.S. troops remaining as key challenges for the new government, eyes are on how the administration will address them.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.