Seoul, Sep 2 : South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to establishing a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, also pledging efforts to help resume dialogue between the North and the United States to establish peace.
The president reiterated the commitment during a gathering of the American unit of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body on unification, in Incheon, west of Seoul.
In his Liberation Day speech on August 15, Lee proposed that the two Koreas begin talks on ending their long-running war and discuss practical ways to halt the advancement of Pyongyang's nuclear program, pledging to seek a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The divided Koreas have technically remained at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
"To prevent tensions from rekindling due to shifts in domestic politics or changes in the international situation, (we) should replace the armistice based on conflict and confrontation with a peace regime anchored in cooperation and prosperity," Lee told the gathering.
The president noted that the two Koreas are wasting their energies in unnecessary confrontation, calling it an "unfortunate" and "tragic" reality that should be reversed.
He reiterated his three-point action plan for ensuring peaceful coexistence with North Korea, unveiled in his Liberation Day speech, which involves inclusive, stable and responsible approaches.
"For inclusive peaceful coexistence, (the South and the North) should respect each other. Peace begins when they respect their differences, rather than when all think alike," Lee said.
Lee stressed that Seoul should be the one to pave the way for the resumption of North Korea-US dialogue, as his government seeks to leverage US President Donald Trump's reengagement with Pyongyang to mend the prolonged rupture in inter-Korean relations.
"Since a possibility of a shift in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, no matter how small, has been created by President Trump's determination, we should be the one to create an environment for constructive discussions on building trust and resuming dialogue between the US and North Korea," he told the meeting.
"Ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula is not an issue just for us. It is a key task in ensuring the security of Northeast Asia and peace in the world," the president added.
-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
