President Lee Says He Will Actively Support Resuming North Korea-US Talks and Calls for Power-Sharing Constitutional Reform

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung says he will take on a "pacemaker" role to help restart talks between North Korea and the United States.

In a written interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, released during his state visit to France from Sept. 6 to 9, Lee said he would "actively support the resumption of North Korea-US dialogue." He described such talks as a possible means of finding concrete and effective measures to prevent North Korea from enhancing its nuclear capabilities.

Lee struck a cautious note on relations between the two Koreas. "I don't think the wall of distrust built up over many years can be brought down overnight with just a few gestures," he told the newspaper.

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I will actively support the resumption of North Korea-US dialogue.

He said his Liberation Day address had presented a vision of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula based on three principles: inclusive peaceful coexistence grounded in mutual respect, stable peaceful coexistence that removes the need for confrontation, and responsible peaceful coexistence that contributes to world peace.

The interview also addressed domestic affairs. Lee discussed the Dec. 3 emergency martial law episode and called for constitutional reform to distribute political power, but the supplied report ends before completing that section.

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I don't think the wall of distrust built up over many years can be brought down overnight with just a few gestures.