Lee says no plans to absorb N. Korea, urges Japan to face up to history for future

Lee says Seoul will wait for Pyongyang to restore trust, resume talks; Forced labor, comfort women not mentioned in message to Tokyo

President Lee Jae yung delivers a speech at the ceremony to commemorate the Liberation Day holiday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on Friday. (Pool photo via Yonhap)

President Lee Jae Myung vowed to respect North Korea's system and ruled out a unilateral approach to reunification of the Korean Peninsula, in the latest of Seoul's reconciliatory moves to resume inter-Korean dialogue, in his speech to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula on Friday.

"We affirm our respect for the North’s current system, aver that we will not pursue any form of unification by absorption, and assert that we have no intention of engaging in hostile acts," Lee said in the ceremony to commemorate the Liberation Day holiday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul.

This effectively reverses disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's bid in 2024 to achieve a unified Korean Peninsula. Yoon had said, "The freedom we enjoy must be extended to the frozen kingdom of the North."

Reversing Yoon's stance, Lee said that he would take "proactive and gradual steps" to restore the 2018 inter-Korean military pact that was suspended by the Yoon administration in 2024. This could be achieved through actions, such as Seoul's latest move to remove loudspeakers along the border and stop sending propaganda leaflets to the North.

"Trust is built through actions, not words," he said.

Stressing that now is the time to move beyond Cold War mentalities, Lee expressed the hope that Seoul's efforts to restore trust will yield corresponding measures from Pyongyang.

"I will expect, waiting with patience, that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue," Lee said.

The liberal administration will also seek peace on the Korean Peninsula through denuclearization backed by international support, Lee said, adding inter-Korean and US-North Korea dialogue could contribute to a peaceful resolution.

President Lee Jae Myung (second from left, front row) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung (third from left, front row) waves the national flag during the 80th anniversary of the National Liberation Day on Friday in Seoul. (Pool photo via Yonhap)

The speech comes as Friday marked the 80th anniversary of South Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45.

Regarding the relationship with Japan, which Lee described as "an indispensable partner in our economic development," the liberal president highlighted a "long, fraught history" between the two countries. He added that unresolved historical issues still haunt the relationship between the two countries.

"It is time to squarely face the past while also wisely stepping forward into the future," Lee said. "I hope that the Japanese government will squarely face up to our painful history and strive to maintain trust between our two countries."

Historical grievances have long persisted between the two nations, chief among them the issues of comfort women and forced labor during Japan's Pacific War. Japan also claims the Dokdo islets, which South Korea occupies, and high-ranking Japanese officials regularly visit the Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of the country's Pacific defeat.

Lee's comments on Friday stood in contrast with those from his conservative predecessor's past Liberation Day addresses.

Yoon, in his 2023 and 2024 speeches, omitted mentions of the historical issues between the two countries. His 2022 address was the only one that acknowledged "historical problems" between the two countries. In it, he said improved Korea-Japan relations based on universal values would "help us solve the historical problems that exist between our two countries." Yoon stopped short of urging Japan to confront the issues.

Yoon's remarks contrast with the more critical stance of former liberal President Moon Jae-in. When Moon was inaugurated in 2017, he said Japanese leaders must address issues such as Korean comfort women and forced labor with courage.

Though mentioning the need to "squarely face up the history," Friday's speech by Lee did not identify the historical problems between Seoul and Tokyo.

Lee is poised to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Aug. 23, as he is scheduled to stop by Tokyo before visiting Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump. Lee and Ishiba officially met for the first time in June on the margins of the Group of Seven summit in Canada.