On the 81st Liberation Day on the 15th, President Lee Jae-myung said, to settle peace on the Korean Peninsula, "Let us put down our mutual intent to threaten each other and begin talks among the parties to end the long war." He also said, "Through this, we can also discuss effective measures to halt the North's advancement of its nuclear capabilities."
In his Liberation Day address that morning, Lee said, "Peace on the Korean Peninsula will in turn promote stability and cooperation in Northeast Asia and serve as a milestone toward a world without nuclear weapons," adding, "It will offer hope and possibility to a world suffering from conflict." He went on, "We will end the war and embark on a journey to transform the Peninsula's unstable armistice regime into a peace regime."
Lee said "peaceful coexistence between the South and the North" is an essential condition for national prosperity. Lee said, "The Republic of Korea's prosperity can never be achieved by economic growth alone; it must be underpinned by a stable and peaceful world order," and added, "The South and the North must respect each other and stop unnecessary confrontation."
He added, "We will comprehensively review the security situation around the Korean Peninsula and take preemptive and sustained peace measures."
Lee said, "Last year at this podium, I said we would respect the North's system, would not pursue any form of absorption unification, and would not engage in any hostile acts," adding, "One year later today, I intend to present a blueprint to move beyond principles to implementation."
As the blueprint, he proposed: ▲ inclusive peaceful coexistence that respects each other ▲ stable peaceful coexistence that makes fighting unnecessary ▲ responsible peaceful coexistence that contributes to world peace. Lee said, "The South and the North must reduce hostility starting from perceptions, norms, and institutions," and added, "For peaceful coexistence and shared growth, I hope the South and the North will sit down together face to face."
He also said, "We must establish systems to control inter-Korean tensions and conflicts and multiple layers of safeguards to prevent crises and escalation," adding, "We will draw the North's response and build a stable Korean Peninsula." He continued, "Peace on the Korean Peninsula will in turn promote stability and cooperation in Northeast Asia and serve as a milestone toward a world without nuclear weapons," adding, "We will end the war and embark on a journey to transform the Peninsula's unstable armistice regime into a peace regime."
◇"Recovering assets unjustly amassed by pro-Japanese anti-national collaborators"
Lee referred to the "Pro-Japanese Property Reversion Act" promulgated in June and said, "We will investigate and recover the assets unjustly amassed by pro-Japanese anti-national collaborators and hold them squarely accountable before history." He also said, "We will manage pro-Japanese property reverted to the state with greater responsibility so that those funds can be used in full for honoring and supporting independence patriots and their bereaved families," adding, "We will put our utmost efforts into correcting the legacies of a wrongful history and safeguarding the honor and lives of those who devoted themselves to independence."
On relations with Japan, he said this is "a time when cooperation between the two countries is more important than ever." Lee said, "For the diplomatic achievements to continue without wavering, above all, firm trust between the peoples of the two countries is needed," adding, "Trust stems from sincerity that understands the other's pain and empathizes with each other." He added, "There are victims and bereaved families who, even to this day, live with the wounds and pain of the past."
Lee said, "There have been conflicts in the history of Korea-Japan relations, but there were also efforts like the '1998 Kim Dae-jung–Obuchi joint declaration' that sought to open the future based on the courage and sincerity to face the past," adding, "Now, when cooperation between Korea and Japan is more important than ever, the light of the new Korea-Japan relationship we build must become a warm solace to those who still endure pain in the shadows of history."
He added, "On that thicker foundation of trust, I hope to open, together with the Japanese government, a new 60 years of peace and prosperity as 'a close and even closer neighbor.'"