▲ President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, who are on a state visit to France, arrive at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in France aboard Air Force One on the 6th (local time) and wave to greeters.
Regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, President Lee Jae-myung stated that he will "act as a 'pacemaker' to help resume dialogue between the United States and North Korea," adding that "this can serve as a means to halt the enhancement of North Korea's nuclear capabilities," according to the French daily Le Monde on the 6th (local time).
Le Monde released the written interview with President Lee ahead of his visit to France from the 6th to the 9th.
Regarding inter-Korean relations, President Lee remarked, "I do not think the wall of distrust can be dismantled overnight with just a few measures," while expressing his intent to steadily pursue efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence.
Comments on the South Korea-US alliance and South Korea-Japan diplomacy followed.
First, concerning the South Korea-US alliance, he assessed US President Donald Trump's recent actions as "not an attempt to undermine the sustainability of the alliance, but an expression of his will to readjust the alliance to fit the realities of a changing era."
He then explained that South Korea is also striving to expand its role within the alliance by increasing defense spending and gradually strengthening military capabilities essential for security.
Regarding South Korea-Japan relations, he stated, "We do not have to resolve all conflicts before moving forward together," expressing his intention to pursue step-by-step cooperation starting in areas where common interests can be secured.
On the issue of past history between South Korea and Japan, he explained, "The goal is to build a stable and future-oriented relationship without turning a blind eye to historical issues."
In this process, he also mentioned the historical example of cooperation between France and Germany in the coal and steel sectors.
The interview also touched upon remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to South Korea last April, where he mentioned the Strait of Hormuz crisis and stated that "countries that do not want hegemony and are concerned about the current unpredictable situation will be able to cooperate."
Le Monde noted that President Macron was proposing an "alliance of independent nations" maintaining a certain distance from major powers such as the US and China. In response, President Lee remarked that "close cooperation among countries sharing common values such as democracy, human rights, and the rule of law is important."
President Lee added, "We are strengthening solidarity based on pragmatic and open cooperation with countries capable of taking practical action in specific fields," and "we seek to strengthen existing alliances while enhancing our capacity to secure our own national security."
South Korean political issues were also addressed as a topic.
President Lee explained that efforts are underway to prevent a recurrence of the political crisis triggered by the failed attempt to declare emergency martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2024, stating, "Our goal is to ensure that the democracy won at the cost of many sacrifices is never threatened again."
In particular, Le Monde noted that discussions are taking place to amend the constitution in directions such as tightening the requirements for declaring emergency martial law and explicitly stating the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement in the preamble.
Regarding these constitutional revision arguments, President Lee expressed the stance that "(constitutional revision) is necessary to strengthen the president's responsibility and more appropriately decentralize power."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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