South Korea Seeks to Rebuild Trust with North

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has pledged to restore trust with North Korea as a critical step toward lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

His remarks came during the appointment ceremony of new Unification Minister Chong Dong-yong, whose mission is to ease decades of hostility between Seoul and Pyongyang.

President Lee emphasized that reestablishing mutual trust remains central to inter-Korean reconciliation. Minister Chong echoed this commitment, stating that a formidable wall of distrust has developed over the years of adversarial policies.

Despite Seoul’s efforts to lower tensions, including halting propaganda broadcasts and ending leaflet campaigns, North Korea has firmly rejected renewed dialogue. In a statement released by Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and senior official of the ruling Workers’ Party, Pyongyang dismissed South Korea’s overtures as insincere.

The statement accused President Lee of pursuing unification through absorption and maintaining a confrontational stance by clinging to the US-South Korea alliance. North Korea claimed there had been no substantial policy shift from the previous administration and concluded that there is no reason to return to the negotiating table.

While Seoul advocates a new era of mutual goodwill, Pyongyang remains deeply skeptical of its intentions, reinforcing the continued deadlock between the two Koreas.