"It is not easy to improve relations with the North due to deep distrust," he said, while emphasizing efforts for continued communication.

While responding to the Japanese abduction victims, no mention is made of Korean abductees and detainees

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ha Chae-rim = The direction of the North Korea policy revealed by President Lee Jae-myung at the 'One Month in Office Press Conference' on the 3rd can be seen as a steadfast effort to communicate without being overly swayed even if North Korea does not respond quickly to our attempts to restore relations.

In a press conference that day, when asked about his policy toward North Korea, the president said,"I expect that (improving relations with North Korea) will not be easy because things are now so hostile and distrust is so deep."

This is a certain acknowledgment of the reality that North Korea's attitude, which defined the two Koreas as"two hostile countries" at the end of 2023 and then cut ties with South Korea, will not change for the time being.

However, he mentioned that North Korea quickly stopped broadcasting noise toward the South in response to our stopping of loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North, and said,"(North Korea) responded so quickly that I also had a bit more than expected," adding,"That's why we need to ease (tensions) one by one."

The president said, “We must continue to communicate and cooperate with a long-term perspective,” revealing his will to continue efforts to improve inter-Korean relations even if there are no immediate visible results.

There were also remarks that could be read as messages to North Korea.

In the process of mentioning the controversy over changing the name of the Ministry of Unification, the president said,"Talking about unification now could easily be misunderstood as meaning that we are going to absorb the other side? Are we demanding submission? That's why some people are talking about changing the name of the Ministry of Unification."

He also said,"We are pursuing peaceful unification. Who would want to be absorbed if not absorbed?" This is interpreted as an appeal to the sincerity of the policy of reconciliation and cooperation while making it clear that he will not pursue unification through absorption, which North Korea is sensitive about.

The president also said,"There are times when I am not sure if there is really that much active support for efforts to expand peace," but he expressed his will to continue pushing forward, saying that easing tensions between the South and the North will help with the economy and international evaluations.

Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, said,"At the press conference, President Lee showed his will to consistently pursue dialogue and cooperation efforts even in a situation where efforts to improve inter-Korean relations have not produced short-term results and political support is uncertain."

The president has shown a reluctance to make critical comments on the North Korean human rights issue.

In response to a question from the Japanese press about South Korea-Japan cooperation to resolve the issue of Japanese abductees, he said, “If there is something our government can cooperate on, it would be right to cooperate,” but added, “But I’m not sure what we can cooperate on.” Although the question was not asked, he mentioned the issue of Japanese abductees, but did not mention the issue of Korean abductees and detainees.

Regarding the human rights issue in North Korea, the president said,"It is actually very complicated. We must also resolve the human rights issue within our own country, the Republic of Korea."

He then said,"Wouldn't providing humanitarian aid to improve the lives of the North Korean people also help improve human rights in North Korea?"

The North Korean human rights issue can be broadly divided into social rights, including the right to food and the right to health, and freedom rights, including the right to physical freedom and security. Like past progressive governments, the Lee Jae-myung government has also placed emphasis on improving social rights.