S. Korea's Lee calls for efforts to restore inter-Korean relations
President Lee Jae Myung called for efforts Thursday to mend strained inter-Korean ties, saying peace between the two Koreas is the most realistic and practical path to ensuring national security, Yonhap reports.
Lee made the remarks while presiding over a National Security Council (NSC) meeting, the first since he took office in early June, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters.
"We must make efforts to restore severed relations between South and North Korea," Lee was quoted as saying. "Peace and coexistence between the two Koreas is the most realistic and practical option for safeguarding our national security."
He urged participants to take a comprehensive view of the shifting international order, the domestic political situation and North Korea-related factors to prevent national security threats.
Lee has ordered a halt to the military's propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and called on civic groups to suspend their distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, expressing hope that the reconciliatory gestures could pave the way for resuming dialogue with the North.
The NSC meeting was attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, senior presidential aides, the deputy chief of the National Intelligence Service and senior officials from the ministries of national defense, foreign affairs, unification and safety.
As reported previously, a Seoul court on Thursday issued a warrant to arrest former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, placing him in custody for the second time.
