New President's Inauguration Day Schedule

The newly elected president, who won the June 3rd election, will officially begin their term on June 4th after the Central Election Management Commission (CEMC) announces the results. This election is a special one following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, meaning there will be no transition period typically seen in previous elections. As a result, the incoming president will need to complete the usual two-month transition process and inauguration day activities in just one day.

The official term of the 21st president will commence at approximately 7 to 9 AM on June 4th, when the CEMC holds a full meeting to declare the president-elect. Chief Justice Noh Tae-uk will announce, "The 21st president-elect is 000," marking the start of the term. The president-elect's certificate will be handed over to their representative. A CEMC official stated that the meeting will occur between 7 AM and 9 AM, depending on the progress of the vote counting, and it is expected to last around 10 minutes, meaning the official term will begin in the morning.

From the moment the term begins, the president will automatically receive the authority of military command, which includes military governance and orders. In a normal situation, this authority is transferred at midnight on the inauguration day, but in this case, it will transfer immediately upon the CEMC's announcement. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will report to the new president using encrypted communication devices, providing updates on military readiness and North Korean developments.

The new president is expected to visit the National Cemetery in Seoul as their first official act. All previous presidents, including Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, Moon Jae-in, and Yoon Suk-yeol, have paid their respects at the cemetery on their inauguration day before attending the official ceremony. The inauguration ceremony will take place around noon at the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, in a simplified format. The new president will take the oath of office in front of key government officials, party leaders, and cabinet members, outlining the new government's policy direction in their inaugural address. Preparations for the ceremony are reportedly being modeled after the 2017 inauguration of President Moon Jae-in.

In the afternoon, the new president is likely to meet with dignitaries or delegations from major countries or engage in phone calls. For instance, on the day of his inauguration in 2003, President Roh Moo-hyun held his first summit with then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Similarly, Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, respectively. In 2017, President Moon Jae-in spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump, while in 2022, President Yoon Suk-yeol met with congratulatory delegations from the U.S., Japan, and China, and held a summit with Singapore's President Halimah Yacob.

The incoming president is expected to begin forming their cabinet, including the appointment of the Prime Minister, immediately upon taking office. In 2017, President Moon announced candidates for Prime Minister, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, and heads of the Presidential Secretariat and the National Security Office on his inauguration day.

However, since the new president will not go through a transition committee, it is likely that some cabinet members appointed by the previous administration will remain in their positions for a period. The duties of the Prime Minister, who has the authority to recommend cabinet members, will be temporarily handled by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Joo-ho, who also serves as the Minister of Education. If Deputy Prime Minister Lee resigns, the newly appointed Prime Minister may recommend cabinet appointments. During President Moon's administration, after receiving the resignation of then-Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, only the ministerial candidates were announced, and the newly appointed Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon exercised the appointment authority after passing the National Assembly confirmation process. Therefore, it is expected that the cabinet formation may take an additional one to two months to complete. President Moon took 195 days to finalize his first cabinet appointments.