DP’s Lee promises pragmatic diplomacy, stronger trilateral ties with U.S. and Japan

Thank you for joining us. I'm Yoon Jung-min.

Presidential hopefuls are now in their final week of the official campaign period.

The liberal party's main contender today unveiled his diplomacy pledges, promising pragmatic diplomacy.

Our correspondent Shin Ha-young reports.

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Monday pledged to strengthen South Korea's diplomacy and security amid a rapidly changing international order.

He said he would pursue pragmatic diplomacy centered on the national interest, based on a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance.

Lee added that he would work to rebuild trust in the alliance, which he says was damaged by a declaration of martial law.

He also emphasized close trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, while maintaining a firm stance toward Tokyo when it comes to historical issues.

"We need to take a principled stance on historical and territorial issues. At the same time, areas like security, the economy, society, and culture shouldn't be overly restricted because of the historical and territorial issues. While it's not easy to separate these issues, we should approach other areas in a practical way that looks toward the future."

On China, Lee described it as an "important trading partner" and highlighted the need for stable Seoul-Beijing relations.

Regarding North Korea, Lee aims to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and achieve peace through denuclearization.

He said Pyongyang's nuclear threats can no longer be ignored and vowed to work closely with the U.S. to resolve the issue.

Lee also pledged to improve human rights for the North Korean people.

Meanwhile, entering the final week of the official campaign period, Lee held rallies in the Seoul metropolitan area, focusing this time on southeastern Gyeonggi-do Province.

"Lee Jae-myung has promised to make southeastern Gyeonggi-do Province a better place to live, with improved access to education, housing, and transportation."

Earlier on Monday, Lee met with college students in Suwon to hear about the challenges they face with school and finding jobs.

Lee said it's a serious problem that young people are worried about housing and stressed the need for more public dormitories.

"It's a real problem that students have to worry about housing. The government should step up and use unused campus land to build more public dormitories."

Lee also pointed out issues including high meal costs, and emphasized the need to expand programs like the one-thousand won meals.

Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.