KB News Desk
BRASILIA — President Lee Jae Myung pledged to make every effort to create diplomatic conditions conducive to the resumption of dialogue with North Korea, as well as talks between the North and the United States, according to an interview released Monday.
The South Korean president made the remarks in an interview with a local newspaper, O Globo, released a day after he arrived in Brazil on a state visit that includes a summit with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and a business roundtable.
Lee reaffirmed his government’s “firm determination” to build a new Korean Peninsula where South and North Korea can move beyond confrontation toward peaceful coexistence and pursue mutual growth, while stressing Seoul’s continued efforts to reopen dialogue with North Korea.
Despite little progress in efforts to resume dialogue, Seoul will continue to seek a path toward dialogue and cooperation with North Korea without wavering, the president noted.
“In particular, Seoul will send a consistent message in support of dialogue in close collaboration with the international community, including the US, while doing its utmost to create the diplomatic conditions conducive to the resumption of inter-Korean and North Korea-US dialogue,” he said.
Beginning with the resumption of dialogue with North Korea, Seoul will seek to normalize inter-Korean ties and pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through a phased approach, ultimately making tangible progress toward establishing permanent peace and stability on the peninsula, he added.
The South Korean president, in particular, underscored Brazil’s interest in and “consistent support” for efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, and asked for the South American country’s continued cooperation on the issue. (Yonhap)
