Peacemaker, 'pacemaker': Lee offers to help restart North Korea-U.S. talks

President Lee Jae Myung said he wants to serve as a "pacemaker" to help restart North Korea-U.S. dialogue and called for constitutional reform to disperse power concentrated in the presidency, in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde published Sunday, ahead of his state visit to France.

Lee said he would "play the role of a pacemaker to help resume dialogue between North Korea and the United States," adding that "this could serve as a means to stop North Korea from further building up its nuclear capabilities."

On inter-Korean relations, Lee said, "I don't think the wall of distrust can be brought down overnight with just a few measures," while adding that he would continue working toward realizing peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

On the South Korea-U.S. alliance, Lee assessed U.S. President Donald Trump's recent moves, including signaling he is willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un unconditionally, saying they reflect "not an attempt to undermine the sustainability of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, but a will to realign the alliance to fit the realities of a changing era." 

Washington has also pressed Seoul to shoulder more of the alliance's costs, including reported proposals during recent tariff negotiations to raise South Korea's defense spending from 2.6 percent of GDP to as much as 3.8 percent. Lee explained that South Korea, too, is expanding its role within the alliance by increasing its defense budget and gradually strengthening the military capabilities needed for its own security.

On relations with Japan, Lee made clear he would take an approach that separates historical disputes from future cooperation. "Not all conflicts need to be resolved before the two countries can move forward together," Lee said, adding that the two nations should gradually expand cooperation starting with areas where they can secure common interests, despite historical issues stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule in Korea. 

"The goal is to build a stable, future-oriented relationship without turning away from historical issues," he said, citing France and Germany, which improved relations on the basis of cooperation in the coal and steel sector.

On relations with France, Lee said, "The friendship the two countries have built over a long period of time is moving into a new phase toward the future," expressing his intention to further strengthen cooperation.

He also expressed agreement with remarks French President Emmanuel Macron made during his visit to South Korea in April, when Macron spoke of the need for cooperation among countries that keep a certain distance from major powers such as the United States and China.

"Close cooperation among countries that share common values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law is important," Lee said. "We are strengthening solidarity based on practical and open cooperation with countries capable of taking real action in specific areas."

He added, "While strengthening our capacity to secure our own national security, we also aim to strengthen our existing alliances."

On domestic political issues, Lee stressed that the political crisis triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in December 2024 must not be repeated. "My goal is to ensure that the democracy we won at such great sacrifice is never threatened again," Lee said. "It is necessary to strengthen the president's accountability and distribute power more appropriately."

Lee also raised the need for military reform. "The military must be reorganized and reformed so that it never again threatens the constitutional order, while also being able to actively prepare for the forms modern and future warfare will take."

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]