President Lee Jae-myung said on the 107th anniversary of March 1 on the 1st in a commemorative address regarding North Korea, "Our government respects the North's system and will not engage in any hostile acts or pursue any form of absorption unification."
Lee went on, "Not in words but in actions, as we have proactively taken various steps to reduce military tensions between the South and the North and to restore mutual trust, we will consistently push forward with what is necessary to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula and to rebuild trust between the two Koreas."
Lee also referred to last year's unmanned aircraft intrusion, saying it was "an incident that occurred regardless of the government's intent" and "a grave criminal act that threatened peace on the Korean Peninsula and something that should never have happened." Lee added, "We will thoroughly uncover the full truth and establish institutional safeguards so this never happens again."
In addition, Lee said, "We will make every effort to convert the armistice regime into a peace regime through substantial easing of tensions between the South and the North and cooperation with relevant countries." On this, Lee also said, "We will continue efforts to resume dialogue with the North," and, "As a 'pacemaker,' we will communicate with the United States as well as neighboring countries so that dialogue between the United States and North Korea can resume as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, regarding Japan, Lee said, "We will continue shuttle diplomacy with Japan so that the peoples of both countries can better feel the effects of improved relations and actively support the opening of new opportunities."
Lee added, "We expect the Japanese government to continue to respond so that the two countries can open 'a new world of true understanding, empathy, and good relations.' We will not stop our efforts for harmony and prosperity, in line with the wishes of our forebears who sought to link peace in Northeast Asia to peace in the world."