The Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi Province can be seen in this 2025 file photo. Yonhap
The Lee Jae Myung government has shifted its focus to peaceful coexistence with North Korea, rather than pressure and confrontation, the unification ministry's white paper showed Monday, striking a markedly different tone from its predecessor.
The annual paper reflects the push by the Lee government, which took office in June last year, to repair the strained inter-Korean relationship based on building mutual trust.
The previous conservative Yoon Suk Yeol government sought to bring about change in North Korea through pressure and the influx of outside information.
The latest white paper laid out three key guiding principles: Seoul respects North Korea's system, does not pursue unification by absorption and does not engage in hostile activities.
Built on these principles, the government has framed its overarching policy as one of "peaceful coexistence and mutual growth on the Korean Peninsula."
Among the measures cited is the Lee government's decision to halt the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea and stop loudspeaker broadcasts along the border as steps to ease military tension and rebuild trust.
The paper also outlines plans to revive the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement, signed by former President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018, and pursue a bilateral accord to establish a systematic foundation for peaceful coexistence.
The shift in policy priorities is visible in the paper's language. References to "peace" and "peaceful coexistence" surged to 196 from 29 and mentions of "meeting" or "dialogue" rose to 58 from 16.
By contrast, the section on North Korean human rights has been significantly scaled back. The term "North Korea's human rights" dropped to 26 from 156, and "freedom" fell to 3 from 43. Mentions of "North Korean defectors" plummeted to just to 10 from 203.
Source: Korea Times News
