President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a policy briefing on Wednesday. (Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung said that foreign and security policies should not become a subject of partisan conflict, while emphasizing the process of persuasion and compromise.Speaking at a joint policy briefing held Wednesday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Lee said that ideological conflicts should be avoided in foreign and security policy. "In most advanced countries, foreign and security policy is generally not treated as a matter of political strife," Lee said. "Unfortunately, in Korea, even the most important foreign and security issues become political battles."Lee said that attempting to impose one's beliefs on others cannot last and ends up in conflict."Realizing a vision or a goal is different than having one," he said. "One way is to persuade others, minimize resistance and make concessions, rather than forcing it. Persuading a hostile counterpart is not easy, but there is also room for middle ground."
mjcha@heraldcorp.com
