Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung announced on Friday that South Korea plans to implement consistent measures to significantly reduce tensions with North Korea, alongside steps to revive the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee's remarks were delivered during a speech commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, which occurred from 1910 to 1945. His address followed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, dismissing South Korea's recent reconciliatory gesture as a "pipe dream."
During the Liberation Day ceremony at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts, Lee extended a peace offering to North Korea, outlining his vision for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He emphasized respect for North Korea's current system and clarified that South Korea does not seek unification by absorption nor intends to engage in hostile actions.
Lee highlighted the importance of preventing accidental military clashes and building trust between the two Koreas. He stated that South Korea would adopt "proactive, gradual steps" to restore the 2018 military tension reduction pact as a means to achieve these goals.
Despite the peace initiatives, Lee underscored the necessity of North Korea's denuclearization for maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula. He asserted, "A peaceful Korean Peninsula must be free of nuclear weapons and based on friendly cooperation with neighboring countries."