President Lee Jae-myung on the 26th, regarding North Korea's hostile stance toward the South, said, "We cannot erase the long-accumulated hostility and confrontation between the two Koreas in an instant with a single drastic measure," stressing that sustained efforts to build trust are needed. In particular, addressing claims that our government is taking an excessively deferential posture toward North Korea, Lee also said, "Do acts that insult or threaten the North really help peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula?"
Lee said this while presiding over a senior secretaries' meeting at Cheong Wa Dae that afternoon, saying, "The values we must pursue are peace and stability. We must put an end to the past, when we raced toward confrontation and war." Referring to threatening actions toward the North, Lee added, "We must seriously reflect on whether they were useful in protecting the national interest and national security of the Republic of Korea."
The president's remarks came a day after Kim Jong-un, the chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, said at the Labor Party congress that he would "permanently exclude South Korea from the category of fellow compatriots," declaring he would maintain a stance of "two hostile states."
Lee said, "Through sustained efforts we must build trust, and as that piles up, move toward a state of understanding and, on the other hand, empathy," adding, "There is an old saying, 'You can't be full from a single spoonful of rice.' If we ceaselessly communicate, talk, and strive to cooperate, gradually building trust and creating empathy, structural peace and stability will eventually come to the Korean Peninsula."
Lee went on, "We must make the effort ourselves. There is no need to blame others," adding, "Blaming others won't solve the problem, and human relationships and relations between states are no different. We will continue sustained efforts."