SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday urged sustained efforts to reduce hostility with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, according to local media.

Lee Jae-myung delivers a speech during his swearing-in ceremony in the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea, June 4, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua)

"The values we must pursue are peace and stability. We must break away from the past that was racing toward war and confrontation," Lee said in a weekly meeting with presidential secretaries.

If South Korea tirelessly communicates, engages in dialogue and cooperates to build trust and empathy bit by bit, the structural peace and stability will eventually arrive on the peninsula, Lee added.