President Lee Jae Myung, on an official visit to Egypt during his tour of Africa and the Middle East, sought Cairo's support as his administration pushes for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula through pragmatic, gradual means.

In an article published in Egypt's state-run newspaper Al-Ahram on Thursday, Lee said the current situation in which inter-Korean dialogue is severed and North Korea's nuclear capabilities are becoming advanced must not be ignored.

The president wrote that he firmly believes in the need for a new era of peaceful coexistence and joint growth on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee said he intends to gradually expand inter-Korean exchanges in the permissible areas and support normalizing the North's relations with the international community.

The president compared Egypt's "diplomatic patience" in mediating the Gaza crisis over the past two years to South Korea's efforts to realize peace on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia in the more than 70 years since the Korean War.

Lee then expressed hope that the two countries would continue cooperating to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East.