"We must strive to restore the severed inter-Korean relationship. Peace and coexistence are the most realistic and practical choices to protect our national security," South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said while presiding over a National Security Council meeting on 10/7.

Mr. Lee urged officials at the meeting to take "a comprehensive view" of the changing international order, the domestic political situation, and North Korea-related factors to prevent threats to national security.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House on 3/7. Photo: AP

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House on 3/7. Photo: AP

This was President Lee's first meeting with the National Security Council since he took office last month. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac, and other senior security officials also attended the meeting.

The South Korean president previously ordered a halt to propaganda broadcasts along the border with North Korea and called on civic groups to stop sending leaflets into the neighboring country. He hopes such conciliatory moves can pave the way for resuming dialogue with North Korea.

President Lee Jae-myung is considered to have a more moderate stance on North Korea than his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol. He has declared his desire to create a peaceful and stable peninsula where both sides can "coexist and cooperate to find a path to shared prosperity."

Ngoc Anh (Yonhap, Korea Times, Korea Herald)