The President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae-myung intends to make efforts to restore the operation of the military de-escalation agreement signed with the DPRK on September 19, 2018. He announced this during the New Year's press conference held in Seoul.
"To prevent unintentional clashes between the South and the North, and to strengthen trust between politicians and the military, I will strive to restore the military agreement of September 19, 2018," Lee Jae-myung said. In addition, he promised to make efforts to restore the dialogue between the DPRK and the US as soon as possible, as well as to create conditions for communication between Seoul and Pyongyang.
"We will continue to look for creative approaches to solving problems, because peace is in the interests of both the South and the North," the South Korean leader added.
"The coldness in relations will not disappear immediately, we will consistently promote practically possible measures to reduce the tension on the Korean Peninsula and get the North's response," he continued.
"We will move towards a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, strengthen peace through a pragmatic policy based on national interests, self-defense capabilities and a strong military alliance with the United States," concluded Lee Jae-myong.
Earlier, he had already spoken in favor of the restoration of the agreement with the DPRK in the military sphere. After the launch of a reconnaissance satellite by the DPRK in 2023, Seoul, under Lee Jae-myung's predecessor, decided to partially abandon the implementation of these agreements. In response, Pyongyang announced that it would no longer fully abide by those agreements. The Republic of Korea also suspended implementation of the remaining provisions of the treaty in the summer of 2024, following the launches of garbage-filled balloons.
