On the 15th, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated at the 80th Anniversary Celebration of Liberation Day held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul that it is necessary to usher in a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula. He emphasized that South Korea will respect the existing system in North Korea and will not pursue any form of 'absorption unification', while also promoting future-oriented development of Korea-Japan relations.
According to China News Service, on August 15, 1945, the Korean Peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonial rule. South Korea refers to this day as Liberation Day and holds commemorative events every year.
Lee Jae-myung said that in order to break away from the outdated Cold War mindset and confrontation framework, the first step should be to restore trust and dialogue between South and North Korea. Inter-Korean dialogue was completely halted during the previous administration. After the new government was established, measures such as stopping the distribution of leaflets to North Korea and suspending loudspeaker broadcasts have been taken. Moving forward, further measures to ease tensions and restore trust will be consistently implemented.
Lee Jae-myung pointed out that South and North Korea are not enemies, but have a special relationship pursuing peaceful unification on the basis of mutual respect for each other’s systems. The South Korean government will respect existing agreements and immediately implement feasible matters. To prevent accidental conflicts and build military trust, South Korea will take the lead and restore the “September 19 Military Agreement” in a phased approach.
The Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula Is Complex and Arduous
Speaking on the North Korean nuclear issue, Lee Jae-myung reiterated that a peaceful Korean Peninsula should be a 'nuclear-free Korean Peninsula', and acknowledged that denuclearization is a complex and arduous task. He stated that through inter-Korean and DPRK-US dialogue and cooperation with the international community, South Korea will explore peaceful solutions, strive for support from the international community, and build consensus.
Urging Japan to Face Up to History
Regarding Korea-Japan relations, Lee Jae-myung said that the two countries have traversed a winding historical path and that correcting relations with Japan has always been an important and difficult issue. He urged Japan to face history directly and avoid actions harmful to the foundation of mutual trust. He further stated that through pragmatic diplomacy and shuttle diplomacy, South Korea will maintain frank exchanges with Japan and jointly explore future-oriented Korea-Japan cooperation.