"In a clear departure from his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has adopted a softer stance on North Korea during his first seven months in office, offering carrots rather than sticks to the regime in 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."
"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."
Lee Jae Myung has shifted South Korea's approach toward North Korea toward engagement, offering incentives and seeking to reopen communication channels after seven months in office. Seoul has pushed multiple initiatives to rebuild trust and confidence, including reinstating a North Korea policy office to prepare military dialogue and de-escalation talks. Denuclearization has been deprioritized, reframed as an eventual goal while immediate stability and peaceful coexistence are prioritized. The government is considering easing some 2010-era sanctions, and cultural exchanges such as Taekwondo are being explored as bridges. The policy contrasts with the previous administration's insistence on denuclearization as a precondition for talks.
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