In a massive ceremony at Seoul's National Assembly, Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn in as the new president of South Korea amid heightened tensions with the nuclear-armed North.

Tuesday, Yoon, a hardline conservative, swore before the people, "I solemnly swear before the people that I will faithfully perform the duties of the president,"

In his inaugural address as president, Yoon stated that South Korea was willing to provide an "audacious plan" to enhance North Korea's economy if Pyongyang started on a denuclearization path.

"While North Korea's nuclear weapon programmes are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat," Yoon stated.

Yoon, 61, assumes office at heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula, with North Korea completing a record 15 nuclear tests since January, including two launches last week.

His conservative administration is poised to usher in a more assertive foreign policy for the world's tenth-largest economy, following the dovish approach followed by outgoing President Moon Jae-in during his five years in office.

After narrowly winning the March election, the new president pledged to "sternly deal" with the threat posed by Kim Jong-regime un's while leaving the door open to discussion.

Under Moon, Seoul maintained an engagement policy with North Korea and facilitated summits between Kim Jong-un and then-US president Donald Trump. However, negotiations broke down in 2019, and diplomacy has since stopped.

Moon says a new long-range missile test by North Korea will cause a crisis.

"Symbol of imperial power"

Moon remains personally popular, but public discontent with his administration helped propel his opponent Yoon to power.

Yoon enters office with some of the lowest approval ratings –– 41 percent, according to a recent Gallup poll –– of any democratically elected South Korean president.

His intention to transfer the presidential office from the decades-old Blue House has soured public opinion, as many consider the pricey relocation needless.

Yoon, meanwhile, has criticized the Blue House as a "symbol of imperial power" and argued that the relocation would result in a more democratic presidency.

An expensive ceremony

The inauguration ceremony, which is by far the most expensive event, was extended invitations to over 40,000 individuals.

US Vice President Kamala Harris's Husband, Douglas Emhoff, will lead an eight-member presidential delegation, the White House announced in t week.

Japan and China have also sent high-level representatives, and Yoon has stated that he hopes to improve occasionally tense relations with regional powers.