Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday the government will pursue sustained efforts to engage North Korea and replace the Korean War armistice with a peace regime. Lee made the remarks in a meeting of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body on unification of the two Koreas.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee emphasized the importance of replacing the armistice with a peace regime to usher in a 'Korea premium' era that draws global attention. Despite the challenges, Lee stressed the need for the government to persistently engage with North Korea, stating, "Difficult does not mean impossible ... If we keep knocking, it will eventually open."

North Korea has remained unresponsive to the Lee administration's repeated dialogue overtures, instead hardening its hostile stance toward Seoul. Since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, the two Koreas remain technically at war.

Lee declared, "Now is the time to resume action toward peace," and pledged to find a way for the two Koreas to peacefully coexist while respecting each other's political systems and sovereignty. He firmly stated, "We will never give up (the effort), however slow (the process) may be."

The president also reaffirmed this administration's commitment to nonaggression toward Pyongyang, saying Seoul will respect the North Korean system, will not pursue unification through absorption, and will not engage in hostile actions. "I will keep these promises without fail," he pledged.