ANKARA

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday reiterated his call on North Korea to restore communication channels, saying it would serve as a starting point for "peaceful coexistence" between the two sides.

Speaking at an event marking the launch of the 22nd Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, Lee said unification is a path that must be taken regardless of whether it takes decades or even a millennium, according to Yonhap News.

"The historic task given to us is to end hostility and confrontation between the two Koreas, and to build a new inter-Korean relationship based on peaceful existence," Lee said.

He proposed that the two Koreas begin by restoring their communication and dialogue channels, adding that Seoul does not intend to pursue unification through absorption.

Since taking office in June, the Lee administration has sought to restore ties with North Korea, halting border broadcasts and urging an end to anti-Pyongyang leaflets. However, dialogue remains uncertain, as Pyongyang has yet to respond to South Korea’s recent overtures, including proposed military talks.

On Tuesday, Lee also rejected calls from the opposition that the country should pursue its own nuclear armament and said it would be "impossible" to gain approval from the international community.

"If we were to go nuclear, it would be impossible to gain the approval of the US or the international community, and economic and international sanctions would immediately follow. Would we be able to bear that?" he said.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun similarly dismissed calls for nuclear armament, warning that withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty could turn South Korea into a “second North Korea.”

Separately, on Tuesday, Seoul pledged to fully uphold Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations as the country moves forward with a plan to build nuclear-powered submarines.

The commitment was made during a meeting between Lee Chul, director of the International Organizations and Nuclear Affairs Bureau at the Foreign Ministry, and Massimo Aparo, head of the Department of Safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

During their meeting in Seoul on Tuesday, Lee assured the IAEA that South Korea will cooperate transparently with the nuclear watchdog, where the two sides also exchanged views on North Korea's nuclear program.

In October, during his visit to South Korea, US President Donald Trump said his administration will share nuclear propulsion technologies with South Korea to allow its navy to build at least one nuclear-powered submarine.

South Korea's Defense Ministry later announced its intent to launch a nuclear-powered submarine built with domestic technology in the mid-to-late 2030s.

* Islamuddin Sajid contributed to the story from Pakistan