South Korea's Lee abandons hardline course on Pyongyang

The change became obvious in recent weeks as Seoul pushed multiple initiatives to reopen communication channels and build confidence with North Korea.

"Both Yoon and Lee want the same thing because there has been a stalemate in inter-Korean ties since the North's last nuclear test in September 2017," said Choo Jae-woo, a professor of foreign policy at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.

The Korean Peninsula has been divided since 1948. The subsequent decades have seen periods of tension and relative rapprochement between Seoul and Pyongyang, but the bilateral ties have "broken down" in recent years, according to Choo.

The row over the North's nuclear arsenal is still the main stumbling block between the two nations. Ex-President Yoon was adamant that denuclearization of the North was a pre-condition to any talks on the future of bilateral ties. Pyongyang would not agree to that stipulation. Lee, however, pushed denuclearization down the list of priorities and now sees it as an "eventual goal,” Choo said.

"Lee wants to prioritize immediate stability and peaceful coexistence and believes that any step to achieving that is reasonable and justifiable," Choo said.

In mid-December, Lee reinstated the North Korea policy office, which had been re-tasked under Yoon to implement greater sanctions on the North. Now, the office will work to open dialogue on military matters between the two nations and prepare for negotiations that aim to de-escalate tensions and build confidence.

Similarly, South Korea's Ministry of Unification is reportedly considering lifting some of the sanctions imposed in 2010 over North Korean submarine torpedoing South Korea's corvette Cheonan. The incident claimed the lives of 46 South Korean sailors. At the time, Seoul responded by suspending cross-border trade and imposing restrictions on South Koreans travelling to the North.

President Lee has now proposed a workaround to the ban on individuals who support North Korea from travelling to the North. In what could be seen as a propaganda coup for Pyongyang, Lee has suggested that any South Korean citizen who wish to travel to the North should be permitted to do so via China.

Last week, Seoul lifted restrictions on North Korean newspapers being available across the border. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North Korean Workers' Party, can now be read in the South.

Lee has also created the new position of peace envoy for the peninsula, charged with seeking new diplomatic channels to revive talks with the North, and wants to revive a proposal from 2018 that would see a joint application from North and South for UNESCO to recognize taekwondo as a shared Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Moreover, the South Korean government has asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to travel to the North in order to breach the inter-Korean stalemate.

Also, analysts note a reduction in South Korea's military drills in 2025.

Pyongyang has consistently accused Seoul of using the maneuvers, which tend to involve US troops, as preparations for an invasion of North Korea.

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South Korea's Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young has also called for a decrease in military posturing in favor of diplomacy.

"It is impossible to hold North Korea-US talks while conducting South Korea-US military exercises," he said in November.

Chung's ministry has also had to play down reports that it is planning to officially recognize the North as a separate nation, This would mark a dramatic change from the long-held position that the two Koreas should one day be reunited as a single state.

"There are some, mainly on the conservative side in politics here, who say that Lee is being naïve or unrealistic and that these plans are simply not pragmatic, but he seems very committed to continue in this direction and he is sticking to his principles," said Dan Pinkston, a professor of international relations at the Seoul campus of Troy University.

"It is clear that Yoon's approach was not a success, but there are some who are now arguing that Lee's approach is risky and could put the public in danger," he said, pointing to the reduced military preparations.

Pyongyang has not responded to repeated overtures from Seoul, which include offers of cooperation in sport, economic development and reducing military tensions, Pinkston pointed out.

"It is always difficult to predict the North's actions, but it is clear that Kim now has the economic and military support of Russia, so why would it need to deal with the South?" he said.

Indeed, Pyongyang and Moscow seem to be closer than ever — with North Korea sending its troops to fight Russia's war in Ukraine and also reportedly supplying Moscow with ammunition. In return for this help, Russia agreed to a mutual defense pact and a strategic partnership deal in 2024.

China, traditionally the closest ally of North Korea, also appears unwilling to pressure Pyongyang into any concessions towards Seoul.

Kim Jong Un himself has recently declared South Korea to be the North's "principal enemy."

"North Korea knows it is safe as long as it has the support of China and Russia. And as long as the war in Ukraine continues and Russia needs its help, then Pyongyang sees no need for talks with the US or South Korea," Choo said.