"Six Months of the Lee Administration" Wi Sunglak: "Pushing to Resume Dialogue with North Korea, Fully Launching the 'Coexistence Process'"

"Achievements include the renaissance of the South Korea-US alliance,
global pragmatic diplomacy, and easing of inter-Korean military tensions"
"Next year must mark the first year of a leap forward, going beyond recovery"

National Security Advisor Wi Sunglak stated on December 7, "The year 2026 must become the first year of a leap forward, going beyond recovery," adding, "We will push to resume dialogue with North Korea and fully launch the coexistence process on the Korean Peninsula."

Yonhap News Agency

At a press briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office under the theme "A Record of the First Six Months of the Lee Jaemyung Administration: A Report to the People," Advisor Wi said, "Our diplomacy and security must move forward even further," making these remarks.

Advisor Wi first recalled the early external environment of the Lee Jaemyung administration, saying, "The diplomatic and security front we faced for the first time was challenging. Geopolitical competition intensified, and the global economic cooperation system collapsed amid a tariff war." He continued, "The uncertainty on the Korean Peninsula increased due to North Korea's advancement of its nuclear missile capabilities," and assessed, "It was an unprecedented situation in which diplomacy with major countries, including the Trump administration, disappeared due to illegal martial law."

He cited the renaissance of the South Korea-US alliance, global pragmatic diplomacy, and the easing of inter-Korean military tensions as achievements from the first six months of the Lee Jaemyung administration. President Lee has held 36 summits and attended five multilateral events so far. Advisor Wi said, "Over the past six months, we have worked tirelessly to restore collapsed diplomatic and security policies based on pragmatic, national interest-centered diplomacy."

He added, "Just 12 days after inauguration, by attending the G7 Summit, we announced to the world that democratic Korea had returned to the international stage." He continued, "With an unprecedented move visiting Japan and then the United States, we quickly solidified Korea-Japan and Korea-US relations." He also introduced, "For the first time in 11 years, the Chinese President visited Korea, fully restoring Korea-China relations, and for the first time ever, the President presided over a United Nations Security Council meeting."

Looking ahead, he stated that Korea will closely communicate with the United States as a pacemaker and actively pursue inter-Korean communication. He also emphasized that Korea will maximize national interests and support peace with strong defense capabilities.

Advisor Wi said, "We will build a smart, elite, and strong military based on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced scientific technology," adding, "We will strengthen mutually beneficial global cooperation for peace and prosperity and pursue broad-ranging initiatives that encompass both the Global North and South."