S. Korea's new president expected to hold first phone call with Trump soon

Also on his first day in office, South Korea's new Commander-in-Chief spoke with the country's head of the JCS to ensure the nation's security.

Later, he is expected to hold his first phone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji has more.

South Korea's new leader, Lee Jae-myung, 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.

Addressing concerns on North Korea, President Lee, on his first day in office, called the country's head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and ordered him to ensure the nation's security remains strong.

"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."

Later in the day, he visited the JCS, looked around the military's Operations Control Room, and was briefed on the country's defense readiness.

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

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday local time congratulated Lee on his election win, 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.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also congratulated Lee, and said he seeks to hold a summit with him as soon as possible, explaining that the two countries face similar challenges, such as an aging population and declining birthrates.

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

Xi specifically pointed out that he "highly values" the development of relations between Seoul and Beijing.

China's foreign ministry also told reporters in a press briefing that the country plans to deepen its partnership with the new South Korean government.

With the tariffs, potential reduction of U.S. troops, and global uncertainties remaining as key challenges for the new government, eyes are on how the administration will navigate relations with other countries to overcome them.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.