President Lee Jae-myung said on the 18th that "there are hands knocking again on the door of U.S.-North Korea dialogue," pledging that "our government will do its utmost to ensure those overtures lead to a resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks and develop into discussions on ending the war on the Korean Peninsula and building a peace regime."
Lee made the remarks in a congratulatory message delivered at a ceremony marking the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration and the inter-Korean military agreement, held in the main conference hall of the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. The message was read on his behalf by Kim Kyoung-soo, special adviser for political affairs.
"The South and the North slowly lowered the gun barrels aimed at each other and promised never to fight again, but regrettably that hope did not last long," Lee said. "As the period of hostility and confrontation has dragged on, our economy and security have been paying a price that need not have been paid."
Still, he said, "even where the wind has died down, the signpost remains," stressing that "the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration and the inter-Korean military agreement are precious promises that the South and the North created together, working out where to begin untangling the knot for a Korean Peninsula where there is no need to fight." He added: "We will take that signpost as our guide. The more tangled the thread, the more it must be unwound one strand at a time, without haste. We will begin by finding and carrying out what we ourselves can do."
Lee also said the promise made in Pyongyang eight years ago "came from the will to remove unnecessary risks of war and to resolve hostile relations," adding that "our people's yearning for peace has never once ceased. Now we will stir that wind again."
At a press conference earlier the same morning, Lee also addressed the possibility of a meeting this year between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that while "it cannot be said for certain whether it will materialize," the government "is continuing preparatory coordination work to make U.S.-North Korea dialogue possible."
