Lee urges North Korea to return to talks, rejects ‘unification by absorption’
South Korean president also vows to prevent future drone intrusions, days after Pyongyang denounces inter-Korean ties
ROK President Lee Jae Myung looks up before delivering his address on the 107th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement | Image: Blue House (March 1, 2026)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged North Korea on Sunday to return to dialogue so the two countries can “leave behind the dark past and move forward together toward a new future,” repudiating the goal of unification by force.
Lee’s speech to mark March 1 Independence Movement Day came days after Pyongyang reaffirmed that it has severed “all ties with South Korea” at the close of its Ninth Party Congress.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged North Korea on Sunday to return to dialogue so the two countries can “leave behind the dark past and move forward together toward a new future,” repudiating the goal of unification by force.
Lee’s speech to mark March 1 Independence Movement Day came days after Pyongyang reaffirmed that it has severed “all ties with South Korea” at the close of its Ninth Party Congress.
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