President Lee: "We Will Pursue Our Korean Peninsula Peaceful Coexistence Policy Without Wavering... We Hope for North Korea's Response"

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[The Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung said on the 27th, "Our government will pursue the 'Korean Peninsula Peaceful Coexistence Policy' without wavering," adding, "We hope the North will trust the sincerity of our government and respond in kind."
In a congratulatory address at the '8th Anniversary Ceremony of the Panmunjom Declaration' held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, Lee said, "To restore trust between the South and the North and to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, we will proactively take the measures we can first." His remarks were delivered by Hong Ik-pyo, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs.
"Eight years ago today, spring was in full bloom on the Korean Peninsula. The leaders of the South and the North showed the world the hopeful future path we must take together through the 'Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula,'" Lee said. "There was a sense of anticipation that a new era of peace and prosperity would finally open on a peninsula long marked by conflict and discord."
However, Lee noted, "Unfortunately, that promise was not kept. The future of peace and prosperity has not yet arrived, and the relationship between the South and the North is still blocked by a cold, high wall of 'hostile two states.'" He added, "Even so, it is the destiny of both Koreas to make peace bloom on this land of division and hostility. War and confrontation mean mutual destruction, not coexistence."
He went on to say, "Ending war, building a permanent peace regime, and ensuring the coexistence and prosperity of the South and the North are the core spirit of the 'Panmunjom Declaration' and the future we must reach." He added, "In particular, we must create a path so that the uncertainty and instability in the international situation caused by the Arab-Israeli conflict do not spill over onto the Korean Peninsula, and so that everyone on the peninsula can live without worrying about war."
"Since its launch, the Government of the People has made peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula its top policy goal," Lee said. "We have also clearly stated the principles of respecting the North's system, not pursuing unification by absorption, and not engaging in any hostile acts. In early February, the government presented the 'Korean Peninsula Peaceful Coexistence Policy' based on these goals and principles, aiming for the South and the North to coexist peacefully and grow together."
He concluded, "Even if winter is long, spring will eventually come. If we steadily build our efforts toward peaceful coexistence and shared growth with the determination to pile up soil into a mountain, I firmly believe that a full spring will return to the Korean Peninsula."
cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun Reporter