President Lee Jae-myung said on the 15th, the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, "The spirit contained in the Basic Agreement between North and South Korea permeates agreements made between the two Koreas, from the June 15 Joint Declaration, the Oct. 4 Declaration, the Panmunjom Declaration, to the Sept. 19 Joint Declaration," adding, "Our government will respect existing agreements and implement matters that can be immediately carried out."
On that day, President Lee said during the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, "First, I make it clear that we respect the current regime in the North and will not pursue any form of absorption unification, nor do we intend to engage in any acts of hostility," and stated, "In particular, we will proactively and gradually restore the 'Sept. 19 Military Agreement' to prevent accidental clashes between the two Koreas and build military trust."
He added, "Furthermore, I will work to restore the exchange and cooperation foundation that can practically improve the lives of North and South Korean residents according to the principles of mutual benefit and shared prosperity."
President Lee noted, "This year, the 80th anniversary of Liberation, is the right time to end the era of confrontation and hostility and to jointly open a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula," expressing hope that the North would respond to the path of restoring trust and reestablishing broken dialogue.