South Korea's Unification Ministry on Monday released a new white paper focusing on peaceful coexistence with North Korea. This photo shows the Unification Bridge in Paju, across the border from the North, on Oct. 26, 2025. File Photo by Yonhap
The Lee Jae Myung government has shifted its focus to a peaceful "two-state" coexistence with North Korea, rather than pressure and confrontation, the unification ministry's white paper showed Monday, striking a markedly different tone from its predecessor.
The annual paper reflects the push by the Lee government, which took office in June last year, to repair the strained inter-Korean relationship based on building mutual trust.
The previous conservative Yoon Suk Yeol government sought to bring about change in North Korea through pressure and the influx of outside information.
The latest white paper laid out three key guiding principles: Seoul respects North Korea's system, does not pursue unification by absorption and does not engage in hostile activities.
