S. Korea Closes Door on Longstanding Hostility with N. Korea
(MENAFN) South Korea announced Wednesday its intent to close the chapter on longstanding hostility with North Korea, expressing “regret” over Pyongyang’s harsh denunciation of Seoul’s peace initiatives as a “deceptive appeasement offensive,” according to local media reports.
The presidential office in Seoul, under President Lee Jae Myung, declared that his administration “will leave behind the era of hostility and confrontation to open a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula.”
“It is regrettable that North Korean authorities distort and misrepresent our sincere efforts,” the office added, as reported by media.
Seoul’s response followed critical remarks from Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who dismissed Lee’s diplomatic overtures as “impossible.”
“We must pay attention to the fact that, while pretending to extend a hand of reconciliation, the joint military exercises that have been held again are under review to ‘eliminate’ our nuclear and missile capabilities at an early stage and expand attacks into the territory of the Republic,” Kim told senior officials of the North Korean Foreign Ministry.
Her comments targeted the ongoing 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, a major joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States that began Monday. The exercises coincide with a four-day nationwide civil defense drill involving approximately 580,000 civilians.
As part of the civil defense efforts, an anti-air raid drill is scheduled nationwide on Wednesday.
Kim Yo Jong further asserted that South Korea “cannot be a diplomatic partner,” emphasizing that Seoul will not be permitted to influence the future diplomatic landscape of the region.
The day prior, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un condemned the joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, accusing them of demonstrating an intent to “ignite a war.”
In contrast, President Lee on Monday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to respecting North Korea’s existing regime and ruled out any attempts at unification through “absorption.”
He also pledged that South Korea would take “proactive, gradual steps” toward reviving the 2018 military agreement aimed at easing border tensions.
Since taking office in early June, Lee’s government has moved to dismantle propaganda broadcasts along the inter-Korean border, banned the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, and postponed certain segments of the U.S.-South Korea joint exercises.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
