Lee proposes talks to end Korean War, build peace regime

SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday proposed talks among the parties to formally end the Korean War and replace the peninsula's decades-old armistice with a peace regime, saying such negotiations could also open a path toward halting North Korea's expanding nuclear capabilities. 

In his address marking the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee laid out a three-part doctrine of peaceful coexistence with North Korea and pledged to move beyond the principles he announced a year ago toward concrete measures to reduce hostility and prevent military escalation. 

"We will embark on a journey to end the war and transform the unstable armistice system on the Korean Peninsula into a peace regime," Lee said at the ceremony at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. 

"Let us set aside intentions to threaten one another and begin discussions among the parties to end this long-standing war," he said. "Through this, effective measures to halt the advancement of the North's nuclear capabilities could also be discussed." 

The proposal gives more concrete shape to Lee's effort to position Seoul as both a direct party to Korean Peninsula peace and a "pacemaker" seeking to revive dialogue involving Pyongyang and Washington. 

Lee recalled that at last year's Liberation Day ceremony he pledged to respect North Korea's political system, reject unification by absorption and refrain from hostile acts. 

"One year later, today I would like to present a blueprint for moving beyond principles and toward action," he said. 

The first pillar is what Lee called inclusive peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect. 

"South and North Korea must respect each other and stop unnecessary confrontation," he said, calling for the two sides to reduce hostility in their perceptions, rules and institutions. 

"I hope the South and North will sit down together for peaceful coexistence and shared growth," Lee said. "This is not a concession, but the starting point for coexistence." 
 
Lee said the two Koreas need institutions to manage tensions and conflict, backed by multiple safeguards against crises and escalation.

His government, he said, would take "preemptive and sustained peace measures" after assessing the broader security environment around the peninsula and seek a response from Pyongyang. 

Lee's overture comes against renewed military tension. North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern Wonsan area on Wednesday, its second launch from the area in six days and its 11th suspected ballistic-missile test this year, according to South Korean assessments. The missile flew about 700 kilometers before falling into waters off the peninsula's east coast. 

Pyongyang followed the launch by condemning the annual South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, scheduled for Aug. 17-27, as an "aggressive war" rehearsal and more provocative than last year's drills.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry said growing military cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo was developing into a "nuclear alliance" and warned that it would answer a "new level" of threat with a corresponding level of deterrence. The allies say the exercise is defensive and designed to strengthen readiness against North Korea's evolving nuclear and weapons capabilities. 

Still, Lee pledged to turn "the energy of hostility and confrontation into a driving force for peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity," adding that South Korea would fulfill its role and responsibility both as a pacemaker and as a direct party to peace on the peninsula.

Lee used the Liberation Day address, delivered on the anniversary of the end of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, to pair a conciliatory message toward Tokyo with a call for greater recognition of unresolved historical wounds. 

He said South Korea and Japan had built a foundation of trust through active shuttle diplomacy over the past year and expanded cooperation in supply chains, energy and advanced industries. 

His government would continue a foreign policy based on "pragmatic national interest" and broaden cooperation where the two countries share interests, Lee said. 

But he made clear that future-oriented ties could not be separated from history. 

"For the achievements so far to continue without being shaken, above all we need firm trust between the peoples of the two countries," Lee said. "Trust comes from sincerity in understanding the other's pain and empathizing with one another." 

He noted that victims and bereaved families continue to live with the wounds of the past and invoked the 1998 joint declaration by then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi as an example of efforts to build the future by confronting history. 

"At a time when Korea-Japan cooperation is more important than ever, the light of the new relationship we build must provide warmth to those who continue to endure pain in the shadows of history," Lee said. 

He said he hoped the countries could become "close and truly close neighbors" and open a new 60 years of peace and prosperity together. 

At the same time, Lee vowed to strengthen recognition and support for independence fighters and their families while stepping up efforts to recover assets accumulated improperly by Koreans who collaborated with Japanese colonial authorities. 

He said assets recovered under legislation promulgated on June 2 would be managed so the proceeds could be used to support independence activists and their families.

Lee also used the historic anniversary to present what he called a "new liberation" for a country facing economic, technological and geopolitical upheaval. 

After liberation, industrialization and democratization, South Korea now needs another leap, he said, setting out a goal of making the country "irreplaceable" — one the world needs and other nations want to work with. 

"We must move toward an irreplaceable Republic of Korea, a country the world needs, a country every nation wants to cooperate with and one that no other country can substitute," Lee said. 

The government would redistribute national resources and capabilities, redraw Korea's "growth map" and spread growth centers across the country, he said. 

Lee also promised greater investment in young people, including stronger support allowing them to try again after failure, while acknowledging the immediate pressure from high living costs, difficulties facing small businesses and anxiety among young people over jobs and their future. 

He defined "new liberation" through four goals - liberation from stalled growth and anxiety, greater opportunity regardless of background, more balanced development across the country and, ultimately, freedom from the threat of war and confrontation.  

"Our responsibility is to carry the light inherited from those who came before us farther and brighter — toward better lives for our people and toward the world's tomorrow," Lee said.

AJP Takeaways:

• Lee proposed talks to formally end the Korean War and replace the armistice with a peace regime, saying the process could include measures to halt North Korea's advancing nuclear capabilities.
• His North Korea policy rests on three forms of coexistence: mutual respect, institutional safeguards against conflict and a peace framework that contributes to regional and global security.
• On Japan, Lee paired cooperation with historical accountability, saying stronger bilateral ties require empathy for victims of the colonial past and trust between the two countries' peoples.

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