South Korea Determined to End Conflict with North Korea, Build Peace

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. (Wikimedia Commons -  Korea.net - Korean Culture and Information Service)

JAKARTA - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday stated that the South Korean government is committed to ending the war on the Korean Peninsula and ending the current armistice situation in order to build peace with North Korea (North Korea).

"We will blaze a trail to end the war and turn the unstable armistice situation on the Korean Peninsula into a peaceful order," Lee said in a speech marking Korea's 81st Independence Day.

President Lee urged both sides to stop hurling threats at each other and immediately start a dialogue to end the "state of war" that has lasted for decades.

"Let's leave the intention to threaten each other and start inter-Korean dialogue to end this very protracted war. In the process, effective ways to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons development can also be discussed," Lee said.

He believes that the realization of peace on the Korean Peninsula will contribute greatly to stability and cooperation in the Northeast Asian region, as well as being an important milestone towards "nuclear-free" peace.

Furthermore, Lee emphasized his party's commitment to turning hostile and confrontational efforts into a force to encourage the creation of shared prosperity and peaceful coexistence.

South Korea will also actively carry out its role as a party directly involved in the peace process in the region.

On the other hand, North Korea has shown a different response by repeatedly insisting that it has no intention of getting rid of its nuclear weapons.

In September 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that the denuclearization discourse was "over" and assured that his party would never give up its nuclear weapons.

In March 2026, Kim again stated that North Korea would continue to strengthen its status as a "absolute and inviolable" nuclear state. The nuclear state status has also been enacted in the country's laws.

Previously, in September 2023, North Korea had included a provision on accelerating the development of nuclear military power into its constitution, following the enactment of rules on nuclear policy in September 2022.