President calls for conditions to restart North Korea-US dialogue, urges 1 million global citizen interviews

President Lee Jae Myung participates in a "Pledge for Peace, Promise of Action" performance with attendees at the 22nd Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification Americas regional conference at Inspire Resort on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung participates in a "Pledge for Peace, Promise of Action" performance with attendees at the 22nd Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification Americas regional conference at Inspire Resort on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung called Wednesday for replacing the armistice regime of confrontation and conflict with a peace regime, and pledged to fulfill South Korea's national responsibility by reclaiming wartime operational control (OPCON) as a principal party to peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee attended the "22nd Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification (ACDU) Americas Regional Conference Policy Dialogue on Peaceful Coexistence" at Inspire Resort on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, that afternoon in his capacity as council chairman. He urged advisory members from the Americas to take the lead in building international solidarity and taking concrete action for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, Cheong Wa Dae Deputy Spokesperson An Gwi-ryeong said in a written briefing.

Held under the theme "Global Solidarity for Peaceful Coexistence on the Korean Peninsula," the four-day conference ran from Tuesday through Friday. More than 750 advisory members from 24 countries across North America, Central America and South America attended in person, with some 600 more joining online, bringing the total to roughly 1,350 participants.

In his address, Lee referenced Jemulpo Port — the starting point of Korean immigration to the Americas — saying Incheon holds special significance in Korea's modern history and in the story of the Korean diaspora in the Americas. He expressed gratitude for the overseas Korean community's support in advancing the nation's independence and development.

Turning to the state of inter-Korean relations, Lee said "the unfortunate reality in which the North and South — who should be closest to each other — are spending all their shared strength on confrontation must change," and asked advisory members to use the "three-point blueprint for peaceful coexistence" he outlined in his Liberation Day address as a roadmap for developing concrete plans of action.

Lee was particularly emphatic about building a peace regime and establishing defense sovereignty. "For stable and responsible peaceful coexistence, we must transform the armistice regime — premised on confrontation and conflict — into a peace regime that can serve as the foundation for cooperation and prosperity," he said, adding that conditions must be created for constructive dialogue aimed at building trust and restarting talks between North Korea and the United States.

He went on to say that "peace on the Korean Peninsula is a core task for stability in Northeast Asia and world peace," and that "as a principal party to this weighty task, we will fulfill our responsibility through the transfer of wartime operational control."

He also encouraged the Americas advisory members to engage actively in public diplomacy with legislatures and civil society in their countries of residence. Urging participation in the "1 Million Global Citizen Interviews" — the flagship project of the 22nd ACDU — Lee said "we are the protagonists and the principal parties to peace on the Korean Peninsula," and that "the Republic of Korea has become an irreplaceable partner that the world reaches out to first." He added, "Where we walk, a path is made," calling once more for practical solidarity.

"It may seem like a long time since the Korean Peninsula was divided, but viewed through the broad lens of history, it has only been a brief moment apart," Lee said. "Let us work so that the next generation can live in a unified, peaceful and safe country."


sunpine@heraldcorp.com