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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has urged North Korea to restore trust and return to dialogue after a prolonged hiatus.
He made the remarks at a ceremony marking South Korea’s 78th Armed Forces Day. The president said his government would continue practical measures aimed at reducing military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
“I hope North Korea will now join us, after a long hiatus, on the path toward restoring trust and restarting dialogue,” Lee said.
Mutual accusations over mine blast in the DMZ
The president’s appeal came a day after Seoul and Pyongyang accused each other over a mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone. Three South Korean soldiers were injured in the incident.
The South Korean military and the United Nations Command said North Korea had violated the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected those conclusions on Wednesday, accusing Seoul of fabricating information and threatening countermeasures.
Despite the latest tensions, Lee stressed that efforts to reduce military risks and restore ties between the two Koreas would continue.
Modernization of South Korea’s military
The president also reaffirmed the goal of transferring wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea. The initiative is aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to independently manage its national defense.
Lee said South Korea plans to build nuclear-powered submarines by the mid-2030s. Seoul will also upgrade its missile defense capabilities, develop artificial intelligence-based command-and-control systems and pursue technologies to neutralize missiles using high-energy lasers.
According to him, the use of artificial intelligence in the military will be expanded, and the armed forces will be reorganized to adapt to future forms of warfare. One priority will be strengthening the three-tier defense system designed to detect, track and intercept missile threats.
The plans show that the Lee administration is pursuing efforts to establish dialogue with Pyongyang in parallel with a policy of enhancing South Korea’s military capabilities. Although the government has repeatedly sought to restore contacts with North Korea, Pyongyang has largely rejected Seoul’s proposals and continued fortification work along the Demilitarized Zone.
