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Lee marks Panmunjom Declaration anniversary with push for inter-Korean peace

Published: 27 Apr. 2026, 17:27

PAIK JI-HWAN
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President Lee Jae Myung looks on ahead of a meeting at the Blue House in central Seoul on April 27. [NEWS1]

President Lee Jae Myung vowed on Monday to implement measures to restore inter-Korean trust and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula in a ceremony to mark the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration.

“From the start, the Lee Jae Myung administration has made peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula its top priority,” Lee said in an address conveyed by Hong Ik-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, at an event marking the anniversary of the 2018 inter-Korean declaration at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul. “To reach that goal, the government has taken early steps to rebuild trust between South and North Korea. It has also made its stance clear, it will respect the North’s system, it does not seek unification through absorption and it will refrain from hostile actions. In early February, based on these principles, the government introduced the Policy for Peaceful Coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, aimed at enabling the two Koreas to live peacefully and grow together.”

Hong added that the government will continue to “pursue this policy in order to restore trust between the two Koreas and promote lasting peace on the peninsula.”

Lee’s message comes after the two Koreas have seen little progress toward the goal since the Moon Jae-in administration signed the Panmunjom Declaration — an inter-Korean agreement aimed at reducing military tensions and improving relations — on April 27, 2018.

North Korea essentially broke the pact by continuing to fire missiles during the Moon administration and afterward. The relationship between the two Koreas also remained stalled during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, who took a hawkish stance against the North and was often the subject of criticism from Pyongyang.

Against this backdrop, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed in 2024 that the North would take over the South’s territory.

Former President Moon also attended Monday’s event and voiced support for the Lee administration’s efforts to thaw the icy inter-Korean relationship.

Former President Moon Jae-in speaks during an event marking the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on April 27. [YONHAP]

“The Lee Jae Myung administration has been steadily taking proactive, forward-looking steps to restore dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas, guided by its goal of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and showing as much patience as possible,” Moon said. “These efforts will help get the long-stalled push for peace on the Korean Peninsula moving again.”

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also underscored the need for South Korea to keep working to ease tensions with North Korea.

“Above all, we must build peace,” Woo said. “We should carry out the Sept. 19 military agreement and expand cooperation on shared concerns between the two Koreas, such as the climate crisis, public health and the protection of cultural heritage. These steps, along with many others, may seem difficult right now, but we do not need to give up.”

Former President Moon Jae-in, right, visits the National Assembly on April 27 for an event marking the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration and tours key facilities with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

The Sept. 19 military agreement refers to the pact signed in 2018 by Moon and Kim to reduce tensions along the border by setting up buffer zones, limiting military drills and improving communication to prevent clashes. However, the deal has largely lost its effectiveness as inter-Korean relations worsened and Pyongyang resumed weapons tests and other military activities.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]