South Korean Prez vows to improve relations with North Korea based on cooperation with US

Seoul, July 3 (IANS) South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung said on Thursday that his administration will work to improve relations with North Korea based on cooperation with the United States, but acknowledged that dialogue with Pyongyang looks difficult for now.

Speaking at a press conference marking his first month in office, Lee emphasised the importance of dialogue and cooperation with Pyongyang.

"We should improve relations with North Korea based on fixed coordination with the United States," he said. "Completely cutting off dialogue is a foolish act."

While acknowledging the challenges of resuming talks due to longstanding hostility and distrust, Lee expressed hope that Seoul's recent suspension of anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts near the border could open the door to renewed engagement.

"When we decided to suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, I was concerned about how quickly -- or even whether -- they would respond. But (the North's) response was very swift and exceeded expectations," he said.

Addressing recent discussions about potentially renaming the Ministry of Unification, Lee said the idea may stem from efforts to reduce misunderstandings by the North, which could perceive the concept of unification as implying absorption by the South, reported Yonhap news agency.

"As our Constitution states, we pursue peaceful unification," he said. "This is not about absorption. Who would willingly accept being absorbed?"

In Japan, Lee pledged to pursue a two-track approach in which past history issues, rooted in Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, should be dealt with separately from future cooperation in security and economic areas.

"Both nations are exposed to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and they share a special alliance with the US," he said. "There are many shared interests in strategic and military terms, and there is considerable potential for economic cooperation as well."

Lee also noted that he has been seeking an opportunity to visit Japan at an early date, but a specific schedule has yet to be set due to Japan's upcoming upper house election scheduled for July 20.

--IANS

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