President Lee Promises To Defuse South Korean Tensions With North Korea

President of Koreel Lee Jae-myung. (Wikimedia Commons/Joint Press Photo Republic of Korea Government)

JAKARTA - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday vowed to end a "unnecessary circle of military tensions" with North Korea, with the aim of achieving peaceful coexistence and mutual growth.

In his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly, President Lee stressed his vision of "phased solutions" to North Korea's nuclear issue, "based on a cold-headed perception that denuclearization cannot be achieved in the short term."

President Lee said Seoul would "consistently seek ways to reduce military tensions and restore inter-Korean trust", referring to recent measures such as discontinuing propaganda leaflets and loudspeaker broadcasts to North Korea.

"By gradually expanding inter-Korean exchanges through cooperation, we will pave the way for sustainable peace," he said.

On Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rejected any gradual plans, saying recent dialogue invitations from the United States and Seoul were dishonest because their fundamental intention to weaken Pyongyang remained unchanged.

However, Leader Kim said there was no reason to avoid negotiations with the US if Washington stopped urging him to hand over its nuclear weapons, but he would never abandon nuclear weapons to end sanctions led by Uncle Sam's country.

He also said he had "beautiful memories" of US President Donald Trump, who with him he held several summits during the US leader's first term, but failed to produce an agreement due to demands for Washington's denuclearization.