‘Begin discussions’: South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung calls for talks with North Korea

File
photo:
South
Ko ea
P eside t
Lee
Jae
Myu g
(left)
a d
No th
Ko ea
Leade
Kim
Jo g
U
(Pictu e)
c edit:
Reute s)

South
Ko ea
P eside t
Lee
Jae
Myu g
o
Satu day
called
fo
talks
with
No th
Ko ea
to
fo mally
e d
the
Ko ea
Wa ,
seeki g
to
eplace
the
decades-old
a mistice
with
a
peace
a a geme t
a d
ease
te sio s
o
the
Ko ea
Pe i sula.Speaki g
at
a
ce emo y
ma ki g
Ko ea’s
libe atio
f om
Japa ese
colo ial
ule,
Lee
u ged
the
two
Ko eas
to
set
aside
thei
i te tio s
to
th eate
each
othe
a d
begi
discussio s
o
e di g
the
wa ,
which
tech ically
emai s
u esolved.”Let
us
put
dow
ou
i te tio s
to
th eate
each
othe
a d
begi
discussio s
to
e d
the
lo g- u i g
wa
as
the
di ectly
i volved
pa ties,”
Lee
said.The
1950-53
Ko ea
Wa
e ded
with
a
a mistice
athe
tha
a
peace
t eaty,
leavi g
the
two
Ko eas
tech ically
at
wa .

Lee
seeks
peace
egime,
uclea
dialogue
with
No th
Ko ea

Lee
said
dialogue
could
also
add ess
No th
Ko ea’s
g owi g
uclea
capabilities.”Th ough
this,
it
may
also
be
possible
to
discuss
effective
measu es
to
halt
the
adva ceme t
of
No th
Ko ea’s
uclea
capabilities,”
he
said.Acco di g
to
Reute s,
Lee
said
Seoul
would
pu sue
p e-emptive
a d
sustai ed
steps
to
educe
te sio s
a d
establish
safegua ds
aimed
at
p eve ti g
escalatio .
He
also
called
fo
eplaci g
the
existi g
a mistice
with
a
“peace
egime”.

Lee,
who
took
office
i
Ju e
2025,
has
adopted
a
mo e
co ciliato y
app oach
towa ds
Pyo gya g
tha
his
p edecesso ,
offe i g
talks
without
p eco ditio s
a d
st essi g
peaceful
coexiste ce.Howeve ,
No th
Ko ea
has
so
fa
ejected
epeated
e gageme t
offe s
f om
Seoul.
Leade
Kim
Jo g
U
has
aba do ed
Pyo gya g’s
p evious
eu ificatio
policy,
desc ibed
South
Ko ea
as
its
most
hostile
state
a d
o de ed
st o ge
f o tli e
defe ces.

No th
Ko ea
deepe s
Russia
ties
as
te sio s
pe sist

Lee’s
p oposal
comes
as
No th
Ko ea
co ti ues
to
st e gthe
its
milita y
elatio ship
with
Russia.Acco di g
to
ews
age cy
AFP,
a alysts
say
Pyo gya g
is
eceivi g
fi a cial
suppo t,
food,
e e gy
a d
milita y
tech ology
f om
Moscow
i
excha ge
fo
supplyi g
t oops
a d
ammu itio
fo
Russia’s
wa
i
Uk ai e.No th
Ko ea
has
also
co ti ued
to
asse t
its
status
as
a
“i eve sible”
uclea
state.
Pyo gya g
adopted
that
positio
afte
a
2019
summit
betwee
Kim
a d
the -US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump
i
Ha oi
collapsed
ove
disag eeme ts
o
de uclea isatio
a d
sa ctio s
elief.I
July,
South
Ko ea’s
u ificatio
mi iste
said
Seoul
had
moved
away
f om
p io itisi g
p essu e
o
Pyo gya g
to
disma tle
its
uclea
a se al,
focusi g
i stead
o
stoppi g
fu the
expa sio
of
No th
Ko ea’s
uclea
capabilities.

US-South
Ko ea
d ills
add
to
te sio s

Lee’s
call
fo
dialogue
comes
just
days
befo e
a ual
US-South
Ko ea
milita y
exe cises,
which
No th
Ko ea
has
co dem ed
as
p ovocative.The
11-day
joi t
exe cises
a e
scheduled
to
begi
Mo day.
Washi gto
mai tai s
about
28,500
t oops
i
South
Ko ea
as
pa t
of
its
secu ity
commitme t
to
Seoul.Colo el
Rya
Do ald,
spokesma
fo
the
US
a d
South
Ko ea
Combi ed
Fo ces
Comma d,
said
No th
Ko ea’s
i volveme t
i
the
Uk ai e
wa
had
implicatio s
fo
the
th eat
faci g
fo ces
o
the
Ko ea
Pe i sula.”They’ve
take
those
lesso s
they
lea ed
the e
a d
b ought
them
back
to
No th
Ko ea,”
he
said,
efe i g
to
milita y
expe ie ce
gai ed
f om
the
co flict.”Ou
t ai i g
accou ts
fo
that
th eat,”
he
added.No th
Ko ea
has
also
c iticised
South
Ko ea’s
pla s
fo
uclea -powe ed
subma i es
a d
has
co ti ued
to
st e gthe
its
milita y
postu e.

Lee
seeks
eset
with
Japa
too

I
his
speech,
Lee
also
add essed
elatio s
with
Japa ,
sayi g
Seoul
should
co f o t
the
histo y
of
Japa ese
colo ial
ule
while
keepi g
the
doo
ope
to
close
ties.He
said
he
hoped
the
two
cou t ies
could
begi
a
ew
“60
yea s
of
peace
a d
p ospe ity”
with
Japa
as
a
“close
eighbou “.Lee’s
out each
to
Pyo gya g
eve theless
faces
a
majo
challe ge:
No th
Ko ea
has
so
fa
show
little
i te est
i
etu i g
to
dialogue,
while
its
expa di g
uclea
a se al
a d
deepe i g
milita y
ties
with
Russia
have
complicated
Seoul’s
push
fo
peaceful
coexiste ce.

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