The inauguration speech delivered by Park Geun-hye after being sworn in as the first female president of the Republic of Korea on Monday has sent positive signals to Northeast Asia, which is in dire need of them to ease the tension that has built up after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea conducted a third nuclear test earlier this month.

Park has taken the helm of her country at a sensitive time, as the region is still reeling from years of tensions. How she copes with the situation on the Korean Peninsula will not only test her own political wisdom but also have an impact on regional peace and stability.

It is good to see, therefore, that Park has kept her campaign promise and vowed to pursue trust-building with the DPRK. This show of consistency alone was necessary if Park is to usher in a new beginning for interactions between the two Koreas during her five-year presidential term.