[President Yoon's 100-Day Press Conference] Yoon: "I Do Not Want Change in North Korea by Force"

On the 17th, the live broadcast of President Yoon Seok-yeol's 100-day inauguration press conference is taking place in the Seoul Station waiting room. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] On the 17th, President Yoon Suk-yeol, marking his 100th day in office, stated, "The South Korean government cannot guarantee the security of the North Korean regime," adding, "However, my administration does not wish for any unreasonable or forceful changes to the status quo in North Korea."

At his first press conference held in the briefing room of the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day, President Yoon responded to a question about whether he plans to propose official talks to the North regarding the 'Bold Initiative' mentioned earlier in his August 15 Liberation Day speech.

President Yoon explained, "The most important thing is the sustainable peace settlement between the South and the North. If North Korea naturally changes as a result of various economic and diplomatic support we provide, we would simply welcome those changes."

Regarding talks with North Korea, he said, "I have stated since the election process that dialogue with North Korea is necessary. However, inter-Korean summit talks or dialogues and negotiations among key officials should not become political shows but should be beneficial for the practical establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia." He emphasized that the denuclearization roadmap announced earlier on Liberation Day is "a different matter because it means that if North Korea shows firm will, we will support all the possible measures accordingly."