South Korea's Lee to restore pact

15/8/2025 11:04

South Korea will seek to resume inter-Korean cooperation and intends to restore an agreement to suspend military activity along the border with North Korea, President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday. In a speech to mark the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee said he will seek to restore the so-called September 19 Military Agreement, which was signed at an inter-Korean summit in 2018 and was designed to de-escalate tension along their shared border. Pyongyang later effectively tore up the agreement and said it would restore all military measures after Seoul suspended parts of the agreement amid a spike in tensions. President Lee, who won a snap election in June, has sought to re-engage Pyongyang after a period of cross-border tension and shown a willingness to return to dialogue.