Seoul: The presidential office said Wednesday that recent peace overtures by President Lee Jae Myung were aimed at ensuring stability for both Seoul and Pyongyang, in a response to remarks by the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that criticized Lee for such efforts.
According to Yonhap News Agency, earlier in the day, the North's state media reported that Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of Kim, again rebuffed Seoul's peace overture, saying South Korea will never become a diplomatic partner for North Korea and calling Lee "not the sort of man who will change the course of history."
"The Lee Jae Myung administration's proactive measures for peace on the Korean Peninsula are not moves made for one-sided interests or with anyone in mind, but for the stability and prosperity of both the South and the North," the office said in a statement.
"The government will leave behind the era of hostility and confrontation to open a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula," the office said.
In a Liberation Day speech last week, Lee said he would respect North Korea's political system and would not seek unification by absorption. He also pledged to take steps to restore the now-suspended 2018 inter-Korean military pact designed to ease tensions.