• Seoul says president will 'leave behind era of confrontation to open new era of peaceful coexistence' with Pyongyang

ISTANBUL

South Korea said Wednesday it will leave behind the era of hostility with North Korea, expressing "regret" over Pyongyang's criticism of Seoul's peace attempts as "deceptive appeasement offensive," according to local media.

The government led by President Lee Jae Myung "will leave behind the era of hostility and confrontation to open a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula," said the presidential office in Seoul.

"It is regrettable that North Korean authorities distort and misrepresent our sincere efforts," the office said, according to Yonhap News.

Seoul's reaction came after North Korean leader’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong said Lee's attempts at improving relations were "impossible."

"We must pay attention to the fact that, while pretending to extend a hand of reconciliation, the joint military exercises that have been held again are under review to ‘eliminate’ our nuclear and missile capabilities at an early stage and expand attacks into the territory of the Republic," Kim told senior officials of the North Korean Foreign Ministry.

Kim was referring to the 11-day annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise by South Korea and the US that began on Monday.

The large-scale exercise is being held alongside a four-day civil defense exercise that runs through Thursday, mobilizing about 580,000 civilians.

An anti-air raid civil defense drill will be conducted nationwide on Wednesday as part of the civil defense drills.

She said that South Korea “cannot be a diplomatic partner,” adding that Seoul would not be granted any role in shaping the region’s future diplomacy.

A day earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also slammed joint military drills between the US and South Korea, saying they show their will to "ignite a war.”

On Monday, President Lee said that the country under his leadership will respect North Korea's current system and will not pursue any form of unification by "absorption."

South Korea will take "proactive, gradual steps" to restore the 2018 military agreement, which was signed between the two sides to reduce border tensions, he added.

Since his election to the top office in Seoul in early June, Lee's administration has dismantled propaganda broadcasts along the border with North Korea, banned flying of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, and delayed some parts of the US-South Korea joint drills.

* Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this story.