South Korea’s Lee warns North Korea of Mideast war ‘uncertainties’

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on North Korea on Monday to respond to Seoul’s “sincere” peace proposals, warning that “uncertainties and anxieties” caused by the war in the Middle East should not spread to the Korean Peninsula. In a message marking the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, Lee said: “We will proactively take steps that we can initiate first to restore inter-Korean trust and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.” The landmark declaration was signed in April 2018 by then-President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the truce village of Panmunjom.

Policy shift and conciliatory steps

Since taking office last June, Lee has reversed the confrontational approach of his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office following his December 2024 martial law declaration. Lee has halted anti-North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts, imposed a ban on activists flying anti-Pyongyang balloons, and taken other steps aimed at restoring suspended communication channels. “We must ensure that uncertainties and anxieties in the international situation caused by the war in the Middle East do not spill over to the Korean Peninsula,” Lee warned, calling for a path where “all people can live without fear of war.”

Regional context and US alliance

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. South Korea hosts approximately 28,500 US troops under a bilateral defense agreement. The US-Israeli war on Iran, which began Feb. 28, has disrupted global energy supplies, affecting Asian nations including South Korea.