New South Korean President Lee Myung Bak will pursue a "pragmatic" foreign policy that will seek to rebuild ties with the United States and Japan while taking a "carrot-and-stick" approach to North Korea, journalists from South Korea told a symposium held in Tokyo just before his inauguration.

Lee took over from Roh Moo Hyun on Feb. 25 as South Korea's 17th president, bringing a conservative administration to the country after a decade of liberal rule by Roh and his predecessor, Kim Dae Jung.

Six veteran journalists from South Korean newspapers discussed the prospects of Lee's diplomatic and economic policies during a symposium organized Feb. 22 by Keizai Koho Center.