Lee says diplomacy, security must stay above political battles

President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that foreign and security policy should not become fodder for political battles, lamenting that South Korea has fallen short of the standard set by most advanced democracies.

Lee made the remarks at Cheong Wa Dae while presiding over policy briefings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Unification and Ministry of Patriots and Veterans. "If you set out to suppress others' ideologies, values and ideals while imposing your own, conflict and confrontation are inevitable," he said.

He added that making loud demands, pointing fingers at opponents or applying pressure might briefly advance one's goals, but would inevitably provoke a backlash. "The way to realize your ideology is to persuade the other side as much as possible, make concessions and bring them to accept it," he said.

Lee also stressed the responsibilities of the government and the ruling party. "For those who hold the authority to be responsible for the fate of the entire community, action matters more than words — and that path is different from when you were in opposition," he said. "The more authority and responsibility you hold, the more important it is to be accountable through deeds rather than rhetoric, and through results rather than claims."

The Foreign Ministry presented "triangular virtuous-cycle diplomacy" — centered on self-reliance, alliances and solidarity — as its overarching goal. Foreign Minister Jo Hyun said the ministry would accelerate consultations to secure the conditions needed to build nuclear-powered submarines, create an environment for pursuing uranium enrichment and reprocessing, and develop the South Korea-US alliance in a forward-looking direction through strategic sectors such as shipbuilding. On the $350 billion investment in the United States, Jo said the ministry would "closely coordinate economic and trade issues with Washington to generate mutually beneficial cooperation and outcomes."

Last month, the Foreign Ministry hosted follow-up consultations in Seoul on nuclear cooperation under the joint fact sheet issued by the two countries' leaders. Pan-government delegations from both sides discussed nuclear cooperation issues and agreed to hold the next round of talks in the United States. The ministry plans to accelerate consultations to swiftly implement summit-level agreements and produce tangible results.

To break the deadlock in inter-Korean dialogue, the ministry plans to seek engagement with North Korea on the sidelines of multilateral forums Pyongyang attends — including the UN General Assembly and 1.5-track meetings — and to work closely with Washington to create conditions for talks. Jo said the ministry would strengthen strategic communication with China and Russia, which have recently been expanding their contacts with the North, and continue engagement efforts through third countries and international organizations.

The Unification Ministry presented its "Korean Peninsula Peace Coexistence Development Vision." A central first step is for the two Koreas to address each other by name, replacing confrontational and hostile terms such as "main enemy," while pursuing a new unification framework that rules out absorption.

The ministry also said it would advance a "Peacemaker-Pacemaker+" initiative to prepare for shifts on the Korean Peninsula. With a pacemaker process already under way at the summit level, the ministry plans to push a more developed approach on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.

The ministry intends to lay out a concrete vision in President Lee's Liberation Day address on Aug. 15, and to use a special Korean Peninsula peace envoy to put the Peacemaker-Pacemaker+ initiative into full operation. At the UN General Assembly, South Korea plans to propose launching formal discussions on a Korean Peninsula peace regime.

The ministry also plans to fully lift restrictions on private-sector contacts with North Korea and overhaul the inter-Korean cooperation fund system. It will resume the restoration project for the South Korean section of the Gyeongwon Line — between Baengmagoji and Woljeong-ri — suspended for the past decade.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back reported that his ministry's key priorities include recovering wartime operational control from the United States, dismantling the legacy of the insurrection, building nuclear-powered submarines, improving service conditions for military personnel, restructuring the armed forces into a quasi-four-branch system, establishing a unified military academy, developing a smart and capable military, and advancing the relocation of the Gwangju military airfield.

The Defense Ministry said it has built consensus on recovering wartime operational control through high-level consultations, including defense ministerial talks and the Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue. It plans to complete a transition roadmap this year and determine the timing for verifying and achieving full operational capability at the Security Consultative Meeting.

On nuclear-powered submarines, the ministry will follow up on the basic development plan announced in May by enacting special legislation before year's end to establish a legal foundation for the program, while continuing consultations with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency on securing nuclear fuel.

For the planned unified military academy, the ministry will hold public hearings and enact enabling legislation to lay the groundwork for what it calls a "world-class institution." To improve service conditions, it plans to raise the base salary for the lowest enlisted grade to 40 million won ($28,000) by 2029 and strengthen residential support, including developing garrison housing clusters in key locations.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans presented "proactive outreach before veterans apply" as its core direction. It plans to expand awards for independence movement figures to 600 this year and review the merits of roughly 3,800 cases where recognition has been delayed due to unclear records. The state will directly register unidentified Korean War fallen soldiers buried in national cemeteries as national merit holders, and will also pursue ex officio registration of May 18 merit holders without surviving family members and regularize awards for April 19 merit holders.