(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, Aug 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that he would respect North Korea's political system and will not pursue unification by absorption while pledging to take steps to restore the 2018 inter-Korean military deal to reduce tensions, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"We affirm our respect for the North's current system, aver that we will not pursue any form of unification by absorption and assert that we have no intention of engaging in hostile acts," Lee said during a ceremony to mark Liberation Day in Seoul.
Lee's speech marking the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, rebuffed a recent reconciliatory overture by the Lee administration as a "pipe dream."
In the speech, Lee underscored the importance of restoring trust to create the conditions for resuming dialogue, expressing hopes that Pyongyang will reciprocate Seoul's efforts.
To prevent accidental clashes between the two Koreas and build military trust, Lee said South Korea will take "proactive, gradual steps" to restore the 2018 military tension reduction pact to prevent accidental clashes and build trust.
However, Lee made it clear that North Korea's denuclearization must be achieved for a peaceful Korean Peninsula. "A peaceful Korean Peninsula must be free of nuclear weapons and based on friendly cooperation with neighboring countries," he said. (end)
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