South Korea’s Lee orders partial phased implementation of existing North Korea pacts
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Since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung entered office in June 2025, his government has sought to improve relations between the neighbours still technically at war.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who has been seeking to improve strained relations with Pyongyang, ordered his Cabinet on Aug 18 to prepare a partial step-by-step implementation of existing agreements with North Korea.
Mr Lee did not specify which agreements he was referring to, but he said on Aug 15 that Seoul intends to restore a 2018 agreement that has since fallen apart to suspend some military activity along the border with North Korea.
“Relations between South and North Korea are crucial in order to protect the national interests of South Korea and expand the space to operate diplomatically in the face of rapidly changing external conditions,” Mr Lee said during a Cabinet meeting on Aug 18.
“Relevant ministries, please prepare for phased implementation of existing inter-Korean agreements starting from wherever possible.”
Since Mr Lee entered office in June 2025, his government has sought to improve relations between the neighbours technically still at war, though in state media so far top North Korean officials have dismissed overtures made by the liberal president. REUTERS
