S Korea President: Willing to visit North

NEW SOUTH KOREAN President Moon Jae-in said as he took office Wednesday that he is open to visiting rival North Korea under the right conditions to talk about its aggressive pursuit of nuclear-tipped missiles.

Moon’s softer stance on North Korea could create friction with Washington, which has swung from threats of military action to hints of dialogue as it seeks to formulate a policy under US President Donald Trump.

South Korea’s first liberal leader in a decade, Moon also said he will “sincerely negotiate’’ with the United States, Seoul’s top ally, and China, South Korea’s top trading partner, over the contentious deployment of an advanced US missile-defence system in South Korea. The system has angered Beijing, which says its radars allow US to spy on its own military operations.

Moon pledged to work for peace on the Korean Peninsula amid growing worry over the North’s expanding nuclear weapons and missiles programme. “I will quickly move to solve the crisis in national security. I am willing to go anywhere for the peace of the Korean Peninsula — if needed, I will fly immediately to Washington. I will go to Beijing and I will go to Tokyo. If the conditions shape up, I will go to Pyongyang,’’ he said.

At his first news conference, Moon introduced his nominees for Prime Minister, the country’s spy chief and his chief of staff. The usual circumstances of the election and immediate transition meant Moon inherited several officials from Park’s government, and he has moved quickly to replace them. AP

Reuters Moon Jae-in after his inauguration ceremony in Seoul on Wednesday.