South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung pledges respect for North’s system, calls for military trust

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged, on Friday, to “respect” North Korea’s democratic system and establish “military trust,” one day after Pyongyang declared it had no intention of fostering better ties with Seoul.

In contrast to his hardline predecessor, Lee has vowed since his victory in June to engage in unconditional conversation with the nuclear-armed North.

Lee stated that the South Korean government “will take consistent measures to substantially reduce tensions and restore trust” with the North during a speech commemorating the country’s independence from Japanese domination.

“We affirm our respect for the North’s current system,” said Lee, adding Seoul had “no intention of engaging in hostile acts”.

“I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue,” he said.

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“North and South are not enemies.”

Lee’s speech comes a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North has “no will to improve relations” with the South.

She also denied reports that North Korea was removing propaganda loudspeakers.

Liberation holiday

The South’s military said in June that the two countries had halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, adding last week that it had detected North Korean troops dismantling loudspeakers on the frontier.

Friday’s August 15 anniversary of liberation from Japan is the only public holiday celebrated in both North and South Korea, according to Seoul’s National Institute for Unification Education.

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In Pyongyang, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un also made a speech at a liberation day celebration, urging the nation to overcome “the challenges facing the DPRK for the great powerful country”, using the North’s official acronym.

However, in an unusual move for a Liberation Day address, he made no mention of South Korea or its “enemies.”

The speech was before a Russian delegation to Pyongyang, including the speaker of the Duma, who read a congratulatory letter sent to Kim by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kim’s speech was a “stark contrast” to his sister’s recent “fiery statements,” Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul told AFP.

“There were no messages aimed at South Korea or the United States, no references to enemies or hostile states, and no provocative mentions of nuclear forces,” said Yang.

“The intention would be to closely observe the moves of neighbouring countries in the near term, including President Lee Jae Myung’s Liberation Day address,” he added.