South Korea's Lee urges talks with North Korea to replace armistice with peace

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has urged North Korea to engage in talks aimed at replacing the Korean War armistice with a formal peace regime. Speaking on Saturday during a speech commemorating Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas.

Lee proposed direct dialogue between North Korea and relevant parties to formally end the Korean War, which concluded with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty in 1953. He also suggested that such discussions could explore effective measures to curb North Korea's nuclear capabilities. The South Korean president stated that Seoul would implement preemptive and sustained measures to de-escalate tensions and build safeguards against escalation.

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the two Koreas should hold a sit-down for coexistence.

This initiative builds upon Lee's previous pledge to respect North Korea's system and pursue peaceful coexistence. However, inter-Korean relations remain strained. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has abandoned reunification policies, labeled South Korea as its most hostile state, and reinforced frontline defenses. North Korea has consistently rebuffed engagement offers from Seoul, criticized its plans for nuclear-powered submarines, and denounced joint military drills with the United States as provocations.

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Seoul would take preemptive and sustained steps to ease tensions and build layered safeguards to contain escalation.