South Korea chief vows to deal with North

"Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun poured our taxpayers' money into North Korea," Park, dressed in gray Buddhist robes, said before attending the inauguration. "But think about what we get in return. I believe that Lee Myung-bak will surely resolve the North Korean nuclear dispute."

Lee also said he will bolster Seoul's strategic ties with the U.S. to help resolve the nuclear issue.

International talks on North Korea reported significant progress last year after Pyongyang shut down its main nuclear reactor and began disabling key atomic facilities.

The talks, however, have not been held since October due to a dispute over whether Pyongyang kept its promise to declare all its nuclear programs by the end of December.

The Japan-born Lee first gained prominence as head of the massive Hyundai conglomerate's construction unit, which helped build South Korea during its miraculous economic rise in the 1960-70s. He became CEO at age 35.

He won the Dec. 19 presidential election, defeating the closest opponent by 22.6 percentage points — the largest margin since democratic elections were restored in South Korea in 1987.