Lee Jae-myung said he would play the role of a "pacemaker" to help restart talks between the United States and North Korea on the Korean Peninsula issue, which could serve as a means to halt the North's nuclear buildup, according to a report on the 6th (local time) by the French daily Le Monde.
Le Monde on this day published a written interview conducted ahead of the president's state visit to France from the 6th to the 9th.
On inter-Korean relations, the president said, "I do not believe the wall of distrust can be torn down overnight with just a few measures," but expressed an intention to work steadily to achieve peaceful coexistence.
Regarding recent moves by U.S. President Donald Trump, including hinting at the possibility of a meeting within the year with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the president assessed them as "not an attempt to undermine the sustainability of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, but a sign of the will to redefine the alliance in line with the realities of a changing era."
The president also stressed that Korea is working to expand its role in the alliance by increasing its defense spending and gradually strengthening military capabilities essential to security.
On relations between South Korea and Japan, the president said, "It is not the case that we can move forward together only after resolving every conflict," adding, "Our goal is to build a stable and future-oriented relationship without turning a blind eye to historical issues."
There were also parts related to domestic affairs.
The president said, "We are working to ensure that the political crisis that arose when former President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to declare martial law failed on Dec. 2024 does not repeat," adding, "Our goal is to ensure that the democracy won through many sacrifices is never again threatened."
In this context, Le Monde analyzed that discussions are underway to amend the Constitution by tightening the requirements for declaring martial law and stipulating the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement in the preamble.
On the question of constitutional revision, the president expressed the view that it is necessary "to strengthen the president's responsibility and distribute powers more appropriately."
Regarding issues with the judicial system, the president said reforms are being pursued "to prevent excessive concentration of power and to curb abuses of power."
The president also raised the need for military reform, saying, "We must ensure there are no threats to the constitutional order while proactively preparing for the forms of warfare of today and the future."