Former President Moon Jae-in on April 27 voiced concern over strained inter-Korean ties and said the Lee Jae-myung government should help ensure the Korean Peninsula becomes “a land of sustainable peaceful coexistence and prosperity,” not confrontation. President Lee also reaffirmed his intention to pursue a policy of peaceful coexistence without hostile acts.
Moon made the remarks at the National Assembly during a ceremony marking the eighth anniversary of the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, saying, “Protecting and building peace on the Korean Peninsula ultimately depends on our own capabilities.” It was his second visit to the Assembly since leaving office in May 2022, following his attendance at the same event last year.
Moon called the Panmunjom Declaration “a historic declaration” that included improving inter-Korean relations, easing military tensions, substantially reducing the risk of war and building a peace regime on the peninsula.
“The spring of peace on the Korean Peninsula in 2018 did not come on its own,” he said. “Even though North Korea’s response remains cold and hostile, this is precisely the time to be patient and stay the course. If we do, opportunities for dialogue will surely return.”
Lee did not attend due to scheduling conflicts, but Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo read his message. Lee said, “Eight years ago today, the Korean Peninsula was filled with the feeling of spring,” and that the two leaders had shown the world “a hopeful path forward.”
“Unfortunately, that promise was not kept,” Lee said, adding that peace must still be made to take root amid “severance and hostility.” He said the “people’s sovereignty government” would not pursue absorption-based unification and, under the principle of “no hostile acts of any kind,” would steadily push a coexistence policy in which the two Koreas live peacefully and grow together.
The Panmunjom Declaration was issued after a summit on April 27, 2018, at Panmunjom between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. It included goals such as a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, a declaration ending the war and the establishment of a joint inter-Korean liaison office.
This year’s event was co-hosted by the Council for the Inheritance and Development of Democratic Governments’ Korean Peninsula Peace and the Ministry of Unification, and sponsored by the Democratic Party, the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The council is a group formed last year by the Korean Peninsula Peace Forum, with participants including the Kim Dae-jung Foundation, the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation and Forum Sasae.
Attendees included Moon and his wife; Hong; National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik; Democratic Party leader Jung Cheong-rae; Unification Minister Chung Dong-young; Kim Dae-jung Foundation Chairman Kwon Noh-kap; Roh Moo-hyun Foundation Chairman Cha Sung-soo; and Korean Peninsula Peace Forum Chairman Lim Dong-won.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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