Prime Minister Kim Min-seok speaks during a press conference with reporters covering his office at the government complex in Seoul on Aug. 19, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Tuesday that South Korea will continue to send “complex” messages to North Korea aimed at fostering peace while safeguarding security, although Pyongyang has shown little interest in engaging in dialogue with Seoul.
Kim made the remarks during his first press conference since taking office last month, as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed joint military drills between Seoul and Washington, saying Pyongyang will rapidly expand its nuclear armament, but without mentioning any peace overture by President Lee Jae Myung.
“We are also conducting drills that the North views as hostile, yet we are also sending messages aimed at building peace,” the prime minister said, when asked about the North’s recent hard-line rhetoric against Seoul’s conciliatory gesture.
“When it comes to inter-Korean ties, there cannot be a single message. We send complex messages to the North and so does the North … That’s what we have done until now and will continue to do,” he added.
The North’s leader on Monday denounced a joint military exercise under way between South Korea and the United States, saying it shows their will to “ignite a war.”
His remarks came as Seoul and Washington kicked off their annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise Monday to bolster their joint defense readiness against the North.
It also came after Lee offered a conciliatory overture toward Pyongyang during his speech marking Liberation Day on Friday.
On ties with the U.S., Kim said South Korea was no longer a “little brother” of the U.S. but a “partner.”
“I think the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA) project will provide a new model for South Korea-U.S. ties,” Kim said, referring to South Korea’s proposal for bilateral shipbuilding cooperation with the U.S. made during its tariff negotiations with the Donald Trump administration.
Kim stressed that the alliance is advancing into one where the U.S. will no longer unilaterally support South Korea, but also require Seoul’s decisive role.
“I believe there will be more areas like this in the future,” he said.
Emphasizing that the first year of the new administration will “determine the nation’s fate,” Kim underscored the need to mobilize the public and private sectors to overcome the current challenges and to address both livelihood issues and trade risks.
(Yonhap)
