President Lee Jae Myung on July 3 takes questions from reporters at a news conference marking his first month in office at Yeongbingwan, a facility at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul’s Jongno-gu District (Office of the President)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

President Lee Jae Myung on July 3 explained his stance on policy toward North Korea, saying, "Based on the basic foundation of our alliance with the U.S. and our trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, we will pursue dialogue, communication and cooperation based on strong capacity for national defense."

He said this at a news conference marking his first month in office under the title "30 Days of the President: the Media Asks and the President Gives Answers to the People" at Yeongbingwan, a facility at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul's Jongno-gu District.

When asked to get specific on inter-Korean policy, the president said, "Dialogue, communication and cooperation are truly important."

"I expect that it won't be easy now given so much hostility and mistrust," he added. "Honestly, I was worried over how quickly North Korea would react or if it would at all when we suspended the broadcasts. But its reaction was much faster than I expected."

On tariff negotiations with the U.S., he urged a "mutually beneficial outcome," adding, "It's difficult to say for certain if the negotiations can be concluded by July 8," referring to the expiration of the Trump administration's grace period for reciprocal tariffs.

"Tariff negotiations are clearly far from easy," he said. "We're doing our best and identifying a wide range of our agenda items."

On relations with Japan, he said, "We have an inseparable relationship," adding, "We're part of the liberal democratic camp and share many interests in military terms, with a lot of room for economic cooperation."

"On the one hand, we're both suffering due to our inability to resolve historical issues," he said. "Both issues must be dealt with separately. Even if we fight with our right hand, we should hold each other's left hand. We need this kind of flexible and logical thinking."

"I totally agree with the idea of clearly defining bilateral relations like the Kim-Obuchi Declaration, and I'll continue to work toward that," he added, referring to the 1998 declaration between then President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.

dusrud21@korea.kr