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South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol on Monday pledged to rapidly improve relations with Japan on the basis of the 1998 Joint Declaration between the two countries and offered to significantly rebuild North Korea’s economy if Pyongyang takes steps toward denuclearization.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Yoon stated this in a speech he delivered on Liberation Day marking the 77th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945).
“In the past, we had to break free from the political control imposed on us by the Japanese Empire so that we could restore and defend our freedom,” he said during a ceremony in the garden of the Presidential Office. “Today, Japan is our partner as we face common threats to the freedom of global citizens.”
Yoon also detailed his “bold plan” to improve North Korea’s economy in case the latter takes steps to denuclearize, an offer he first made during his inauguration speech in May.
He said that the denuclearization of North Korea is “essential” to achieve lasting peace on the peninsula, in Northeast Asia and around the world.
