South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday vowed to continue efforts to normalise relations with North Korea despite Pyongyang's rejection of his dialogue overture
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SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday vowed to continue efforts to normalise relations with North Korea despite Pyongyang's rejection of his dialogue overture, saying the two Koreas should move beyond past confrontation and pursue peace and stability.
Lee reaffirmed his commitment to improving ties after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un dismissed dialogue with Seoul, describing the South's overture as deceptive while appearing to leave the door open for talks with Washington as he wrapped up the North's key party congress the previous day, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"We should pursue such values as peace and stability," Lee said at a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae. "We should decisively put an end to the past that was racing toward confrontation and war."
He also called for sober reflection on past approaches that have stoked tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
"We need to seriously consider whether previous acts of humiliation or threats toward North Korea have truly contributed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula or served the Republic of Korea's interests and security," he said.
To normalise inter-Korean relations, Lee underscored the need for sustained efforts to ease long-running hostility and build trust with Pyongyang.
"I believe lasting peace and stability can ultimately take hold on the Korean Peninsula by consistently communicating, engaging in dialogue and making efforts to cooperate, and steadily building trust and mutual understanding," he said.
On February 19, South Korea's defence ministry said it will push for reinstating a no-fly zone under the suspended 2018 inter-Korean military pact in a way that does not affect a military readiness posture.
The ministry also said it is in consultations with the United States over Seoul's push to partially restore the military pact, a day after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young disclosed the government's plan.