Seoul, Jan 1 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Thursday that he will actively support potential talks between North Korea and the United States this year as a "pacemaker," adding that he will also continue to keep up facilitating ways to restore relations with Pyongyang.
In an annual New Year's speech, Lee said he "will actively support the resumption of North Korea-US talks and continue pursuing the restoration of inter-Korean relations this year."
Last year, Lee held summit talks with US President Donald Trump, who expressed his hope to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- a move that Lee supported by pledging to become a "pacemaker" to help Trump play a role as a "peacemaker."
Still, North Korea has shown few signs of returning to the dialogue table, but analysts have suggested that Pyongyang may pursue diplomacy after it holds a key party congress early this year, reports Yonhap news agency.
Inter-Korean tensions have remained high as Pyongyang has snubbed Seoul's peace overtures, as North Korea and Russia were deepening their military cooperation, particularly after the North's dispatch of its troops in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine.
Lee also stressed the importance of diplomacy despite stalled talks with North Korea.
He said the government is implementing measures to ease military tensions and restore trust between the two Koreas and is building consensus with the international community, including the US and China, on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
"We will replace unstable growth constrained by the threat of war with stable growth supported by peace," he said. "Steadfast peace is synonymous with growth, and robust security is the driving force behind prosperity."
In the speech laying out his agenda for 2026, Lee vowed to pursue his peace vision on the basis of what he called a "comprehensive strategic alliance" with the US and strong "self-reliant" national defence.
He said Seoul's recent trade deal with Washington has helped ease economic uncertainty, adding that the Korea-US alliance is now entering a "new renaissance." Lee expressed hope that Washington's approval of Seoul's push to build nuclear-powered submarines, along with efforts to expand uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities, will serve as a solid backbone for the nation's economic recovery.
On the domestic front, Lee said his administration will shift away from a growth model centred on the Seoul metropolitan area and move toward more balanced and sustainable development nationwide.
Plans are in place for customised strategies across five regional hubs -- the Seoul metro area, the southeast, northeast, central and western regions -- along with three special self-governing provinces: Jeju, Gangwon and North Jeolla.
The transition to the new development framework, he said, "is not a favour to the provinces" but "an essential strategy for national resurgence."
He also said the government will look for ways to spread economic opportunities and benefits beyond a small number of large conglomerates to start-ups, venture firms and small and mid-sized companies.
Addressing the high number of fatal industrial accidents, Lee pledged to strengthen workplace safety and promised greater investment in the cultural sector to promote various kinds of Korean content across the world.
"Culture itself is the economy and a future growth engine, and it has become a linchpin of national competitiveness," he said.
--IANS
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