[Anchor]

Today (August 15) marks the 81st Liberation Day, a day to engrave the sacrifices of our patriotic martyrs in our hearts and pledge a better future. In his Liberation Day address, President Lee Jae-myung proposed, "Let us begin discussions among the parties involved to end the long-standing war." He called for not only the two Koreas but also the United States and China to hold discussions together for a transition to a peace regime. As a blueprint for North Korea policy, he presented "inclusive, stable, and responsible peaceful coexistence."

First, reporter Kim Hye-young has the details.

[Reporter]

What President Lee Jae-myung proposed in today's address for the 81st Liberation Day is "direct discussions by the parties involved" to transform the Korean Peninsula's armistice system into a peace regime.

[President Lee Jae-myung : Let us begin discussions among the parties involved to end the very long-standing war. Through this, effective measures to halt the advancement of North Korea's nuclear capabilities can also be discussed.]

Although he did not explicitly name the countries corresponding to the "parties involved," it is interpreted as widely keeping in mind everything from bilateral talks such as South-North, North-US, and US-China, to tripartite and quadripartite multilateral tables, centered around South and North Korea, the United States, and China, who were involved in the Korean War and the armistice system.

There is also a strategic expectation that as the party nations put their heads together for this transition to a peace regime, solutions for halting North Korea's nuclear program can be derived together.

President Lee also presented a three-part blueprint of "inclusive, stable, and responsible peaceful coexistence" as a practical method for North Korea policy.

[President Lee Jae-myung : I hope that the South and the North will sit face-to-face for peaceful coexistence and joint growth. This will serve as a starting point for coexistence, not concession.]

Regarding Japan, President Lee stated that trust between the people of both countries is necessary for the achievements of South Korea-Japan cooperation to continue, saying the following:

[President Lee Jae-myung : The light of a new South Korea-Japan relationship must be able to serve warmth to those who are still enduring pain within the shadows of history.]

This placed emphasis on the "future" based on "trust."

[President Lee Jae-myung : As neighbors close yet close, I hope that we can open a new 60 years of peace and prosperity together.]

President Lee also promised to recover assets unfairly accumulated by pro-Japanese anti-national collaborators to firmly hold responsibility for history, and to ensure that these funds are entirely used for the treatment and honor of independence patriots and their bereaved families.

(Camera Footage by Jung Sang-bo, Video Editing by Lee Seung-jin)