Anchor: President Lee Jae Myung spoke out in favor of inter-Korean peace and  reconciliation at a Liberation Day event Friday. In celebrating the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan at the end of World War II, Lee also drew parallels between the 20th-century fight for Korean independence and present-day efforts to protect democracy in South Korea. 
Kim Bumsoo has more.

Report: President Lee Jae Myung has issued a message of reconciliation to North Korea in an effort to revive stalled inter-Korean dialogue. 

Lee on Friday delivered a speech at a government event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Korea’s independence after 35 years of Japanese colonial occupation.

[Sound bite: President Lee Jae Myung (Korean-English)]
“I would like to make it clear that we respect the current regime in the North and will not pursue ‘reunification by absorption’ in any form. We have no hostile intentions toward the North. I would like to preemptively restore the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement in order to prevent accidental clashes and build military trust between the two sides.”

Citing the South’s recent decision to suspend border loudspeaker broadcasts and anti-Pyongyang leaflet activities, Lee said his government will restore trust and communication with the North.

On South Korea-Japan relations, Lee sought to dispel concerns that his liberalist government may not be able to maintain the close cooperation his predecessor restored after years of strained ties. 

[Sound bite: President Lee Jae Myung (Korean-English)]
“Under the principle of national interest-based, pragmatic diplomacy, the government will seek future-oriented mutual cooperation with Japan by frequently holding meetings and candid discussion via shuttle diplomacy. ... We would like to hope that the Japanese government will squarely face the painful past and launch efforts not to damage bilateral trust.”

During Friday’s event, the president urged the Korean people to safeguard what he called “the light reclaimed in liberation” from Japanese colonialism, likening the struggle for Korea’s independence to the resistance to his predecessor’s failed martial law bid.

Lee is continuing that narrative at a public event Friday evening in downtown Seoul to receive a symbolic certificate of appointment from 80 people his government selected to highlight what it sees as the victory of the light against darkness.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.