President Yoon Suk Yeol began his five-year term at the start of Tuesday by receiving a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) as the new commander-in-chief of the South Korean armed forces.

The 20th president of South Korea received a critical and symbolic call from defense minister Suh Wook as the clock hit midnight, marking the transfer of power from his predecessor Moon Jae-in.

Yoon then received a briefing from JCS Chair Won In-choul on the movements of North Korean troops and the readiness posture of the South Korean military.

Noting the critical security situation on the Korean Peninsula, Yoon asked the military to closely watch the movements of North Korean troops and maintain a firm readiness posture based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

Yoon received the briefing at an underground bunker of the new presidential office in the Yongsan District of Seoul. The bunker, known as the national crisis management center, was previously located in an underground floor of the presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae, but was moved to the Yongsan office.

Also at midnight, a bell ringing ceremony was held at the Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul to signal the launch of the new government.

Source: KBS World Radio