SEOUL – South Korea has moved past last December’s

martial law debacle

, said its President Lee Jae Myung, and it is ready to reprise its role as a key player in the global community as it gears up to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit meetings next week.

“International confidence in Korea has been fully restored,” he declared in an interview with The Straits Times, pointing to a surge in foreign investments and ambitious foreign policy initiatives as evidence.