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President Lee urges patient approach to Pyongyang, calls for review of North Korean media ban

Published: 19 Dec. 2025, 15:44

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a policy briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification at the government complex annex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 19. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that South Korea should pursue a patient and proactive approach to improve relations with North Korea, while calling for a review of restrictions on North Korean state media and a humanitarian approach to long-term unconverted prisoners.

He made the recommendations at a policy briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification and other government agencies at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, warning that relations between the two Koreas were hardening into what he described as “true enemies.”

“We should make pre-emptive and leading efforts with patience so that hostility between the two Koreas can be eased,” Lee said. “We should do our best so that even a small amount of trust can begin to take root. That is the role the Ministry of Unification must play.”

Lee said recent developments in inter-Korean relations gave him the impression that hostility between the two sides was becoming entrenched.

“In the past, it felt like we were pretending to be enemies, but now it seems we are actually becoming enemies," he said.

He said heightened hostility between the two Koreas was unnecessary from a practical standpoint and would result in "direct economic losses."

“Because of [the South's] unnecessary hard-line approaches, it feels like we have truly come to hate each other,” he said.

He pointed to recent North Korean construction along the inter-Korean border, including triple-layer fences, the dismantling of roads and bridges and the building of barriers, saying such actions were unprecedented in previous decades.

“We are taught and told that North Korea is preparing to invade the South [and is] militarily targeting us,” Lee said. “Those claims can appear to have some basis, but when you look at reality, North Korea may be worried that the South could invade the North.”

He said Pyongyang’s actions could reflect concerns about a potential attack from the South.

Lee said North Korea’s declaration of the two Koreas as "two hostile states" and calling the South an "enemy" had left little room for engagement.

“We should be communicating, holding dialogue, cooperating and pursuing coexistence and shared prosperity,” he said. “But right now, it seems there isn’t even a pinhole of space for that.”

He stressed that Seoul must continue efforts to improve relations, even if Pyongyang’s refusal to engage is part of North Korea’s strategy.

“We must patiently work to improve this situation,” Lee said. “It is clearly not easy, but it is also clearly not something we can give up on.”

The president also criticized restrictions on public access to North Korean state media, questioning whether such limits treat South Koreans as vulnerable to propaganda.

“Why are people blocked from seeing the Rodong Sinmun?” Lee said. “Is it because there’s a fear that people might fall for the propaganda and become ‘communists’?”

“It could instead help people better understand the reality of North Korea and see that [their political system] is not something to emulate," he said.

Under South Korea's National Intelligence Service's internal guidelines, public access to North Korean state media is restricted. But the websites are accessible through proxy servers, a method used by researchers and journalists. North Korean media, such as movies and songs, are also available on YouTube.

A senior Unification Ministry official highlighted the discrepancy between the legal framework and actual practice during the briefing.

“The gap between the system and reality is significant, and we are reviewing reasonable improvements,” the official said.

Lee said access to North Korean media did not need to be treated as a formal state policy, adding that restrictions underestimated the public’s level of awareness.

When Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said the ministry shared Lee’s view but other agencies, including the National Intelligence Service, had taken a more cautious stance, Lee pushed back.

“So the concern is that intelligence officials can read this without being influenced, but ordinary citizens would be easily swayed?” Lee said. “That’s a real problem.”

“There was a time in the past when mere possession was punishable, but that is no longer the case,” Lee added. “We need to approach this according to principle.”

The briefing also addressed the issue of long-term unconverted North Korean prisoners.

“If someone wants to return to their hometown, shouldn’t we open the way for them?” Lee said, calling for a humanitarian approach.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a policy briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification at the government complex in central Seoul on Dec. 19. [YONHAP]

Turning to diplomacy, Lee said rapid changes in the global order made foreign policy "more important than ever."

“Peace is the most reliable security policy, and diplomacy has the greatest influence in achieving peace," he said.

Lee also highlighted the role of diplomacy in economic competition, calling on South Korea’s overseas missions to play a more active role.

“As international economic competition intensifies, diplomacy ultimately plays the biggest role in expanding our economic territory,” he said.

He urged diplomatic missions to serve as bases for cultural outreach and economic expansion.

“Rather than performing duties in a formalistic way as in the past, I ask you to work proactively with the mindset that you are expanding Korea’s territory and carrying the nation’s fate on your shoulders,” Lee said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN, BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]

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President Lee urges patient approach to Pyongyang, calls for review of North Korean media ban

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