South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called for the resumption of dialogue with North Korea to ensure peaceful coexistence and prevent a new conflict on the Korean Peninsula. The Guardian writes, UNN reports.
Details
"South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called for talks with North Korea aimed at achieving peaceful coexistence, stating that Seoul would seek guarantees to prevent conflict and emphasizing the need to replace the armistice on the peninsula with a 'peace regime,'" the publication writes.
In a speech marking the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee said that the two Koreas should hold talks aimed at coexistence.
He called for dialogue between North Korea and interested parties with the aim of ending the 1950–1953 Korean War, which was halted not by a peace treaty but by an armistice, and noted that measures to limit Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities could also be considered during the discussions.
Lee also said that Seoul would take preventive and consistent measures to ease tensions and create multilayered safeguards to prevent an escalation of the conflict.
As the publication notes, Lee's call is largely based on his pledge last year to respect North Korea's system and seek peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang.
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As the publication points out, relations between North and South Korea remain frozen. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un abandoned Pyongyang's policy of reunification, called South Korea the most hostile state, and ordered the strengthening of defenses along the front line.
North Korea rejected Lee's proposals to establish dialogue, criticized Seoul's plan for nuclear-powered submarines, and condemned joint U.S.–South Korean military exercises as provocations.
Regarding relations with Japan, Lee called for confronting the past while leaving the future open, and expressed hope of beginning a new 60 years of peace and prosperity with Japan as a "close neighbor."
To remind you
On the morning of August 12, North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the sea, conducting its second missile test in less than a week.