President Lee: "Journey to Peace on Korean Peninsula Won't Be Easy... But It's a Path We Must Take"

Marking the 19th anniversary of the October 4 Inter-Korean Summit, President Lee Jae-myung emphasized, "The journey to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue and solidify peace will by no means be easy," adding, "Yet it remains clear that this is a path we must take."

President Lee made the remarks in a congratulatory address read by Vice Minister of Unification Kim Nam-joong at a ceremony commemorating the 19th anniversary of the October 4 Inter-Korean Summit Declaration, held today (October 4) at Dorasan Station in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

Explaining its significance, President Lee said, "The (2007) October 4 Inter-Korean Summit Declaration was a promise between the leaders of the South and North to firmly solidify peace," calling it "a historic agreement to transform inter-Korean relations into a relationship of mutual respect and trust, put an end to military hostilities, and jointly build a permanent peace regime beyond the armistice system."

He continued, "Regrettably, as the promises toward peace and prosperity were not kept, hostility and confrontation took their place," adding, "Hostility and confrontation were even exploited as pretexts to threaten democracy."

Stressing that we must return to the spirit of the October 4 Declaration, President Lee stated that his recent proposal of inclusive peaceful coexistence, stable peaceful coexistence without the need to fight, and responsible peaceful coexistence contributing to global peace is "a blueprint translating the spirit embraced by the October 4 Declaration into the language of today."

He then called for unity, saying, "I ask everyone to join together so that lasting peace can take root in this land, carrying forward President Roh Moo-hyun's conviction and determination for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.