South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday vowed to respect the system of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and ruled out a unilateral approach to reunification of the Korean Peninsula in his speech to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

"We affirm our respect for the DPRK's current system, aver that we will not pursue any form of unification by absorption, and assert that we have no intention of engaging in hostile acts," Lee said in the ceremony to commemorate the Liberation Day holiday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul.

His words mark a reversal from former President Yoon Suk-yeol's bid in 2024 to achieve a unified Korean Peninsula.

Lee said that he would take "proactive and gradual steps" to restore the 2018 inter-Korean military pact that was suspended by the Yoon administration in 2024. This could be achieved through actions such as Seoul's latest move to remove loudspeakers along the border and stop sending propaganda leaflets to the DPRK.

"Trust is built through actions, not words," he said. Stressing that now is the time to move beyond Cold War mentalities, Lee expressed the hope that Seoul's efforts to restore trust will yield corresponding measures from Pyongyang.