The Koreas | Diplomacy | East Asia

South Korean President Pledges to Respect North’s System in March 1st Address

Lee Jae-myung seeks peaceful coexistence with North Korea and shuttle diplomacy with Japan amid a shifting regional security landscape.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung delivers a speech at a ceremony marking the 107th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement, Mar. 1, 2026.

In a speech marking the 107th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said that his administration will officially respect North Korea’s political system, pledging to avoid any pursuit of unification by absorption. Lee also outlined a pragmatic diplomatic framework aimed at stabilizing the Korean Peninsula through mutual recognition and a “future-oriented” partnership with Japan.

“As has been stated several times, our government respects the North’s system and will not engage in any hostile acts or pursue any form of unification by absorption,” Lee said during his speech on March 1. “Just as we have preemptively taken various measures to lower military tensions between the South and North and restore mutual trust through actions rather than words, we will consistently and continuously push forward with the tasks necessary for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the restoration of inter-Korean trust.”

Recently, North Korea showed its interest in holding dialogue with the United States without preconditions. However, Pyongyang has been clear that it is sidelining South Korea. At the recent Ninth Party Congress, North Korea officially defined South Korea as the “out-and-out first hostile state” and the “immutable principal enemy.” The North Korean state agencies that used to be tasked with inter-Korean diplomacy and cooperation have been dissolved.

Despite Pyongyang’s consistent refusal to consider Seoul’s role in nuclear talks, Lee reiterated his will to work as a “pacemaker” to help the North and the U.S. renew the deadlocked talks.

“As a pacemaker, we will communicate faithfully with the United States as well as neighboring countries so that dialogue between North Korea and the United States can be resumed as soon as possible,” Lee said. “As the North is also establishing and implementing a new five-year plan, I expect that they will come out to the forum of dialogue as soon as possible, leave the dark past behind, and move........

© The Diplomat