President Lee: "All Communication with North Korea Severed, Will Continue Efforts to Create Conditions for U.S.-North Korea Dialogue"

President Lee Jae-myung said today (the 19th) regarding his approach to North Korea, "We must ensure that dialogue is led by the United States, and we must strive to create the conditions for such dialogue," adding, "We will continue to make these efforts."

During a briefing held at the Blue House today, President Lee explained, "Unfortunately, in reality, all means of communication with North Korea have been severed."

President Lee stated, "North Korea is saying that '(South Korea) is not even a national community, but two hostile states,'" adding, "Even emergency hotlines and communication lines are completely blocked."

Regarding the cause, he explained, "The process of attempting to provoke North Korea and use physical conflict to declare martial law is being fully revealed in court," and added, "Too many things were ruined and the situation worsened during that process."

He assessed that despite the current administration's appeasement policy, hostility remains, stating, "Language of condemnation and confrontation is rampant. This could continue for a considerable period."

He further explained, "It has become difficult for the Republic of Korea to independently open the path to alleviate issues on the Korean Peninsula and enable peaceful coexistence," adding, "Too many things were ruined, and all paths were blocked through an aggressive attitude."

In addition, he said, "North Korea believes that the United States plays a key role in the security of its regime," noting that "this is partly a reality," while emphasizing that he would continue efforts to request dialogue with the North.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.