South Korean President urges unification efforts after Pyongyang threats

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urges international support for unification efforts amid rising tensions with North Korea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called on March 1 for the international community to back "unification efforts" after Pyongyang earlier this year declared Seoul its "principal enemy".

Ties between the two Koreas have been in a deep freeze as Pyongyang accelerates its weapons development programmes and Seoul ramps up military cooperation with Washington and Tokyo.

Mr. Yoon, who has consistently taken a firm stance against nuclear-armed North Korea, has rarely discussed the topic of unification since assuming office in 2022.

"Our unification efforts must become a source of hope and a beacon of light for the people of North Korea," he said at a ceremony marking the anniversary of Korea's 1919 uprising against Japanese colonial rule.

"We must come together on a path that leads ultimately to unification" of the Korean peninsula, he said, stressing that the international community "must pool its strength in a responsible manner".

Mr. Yoon emphasised better ties with Tokyo were helping to counter the North's ever-increasing military threats.

"The security cooperation between the two countries against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats has been strengthened further," he said, adding that the countries were "working together to overcome the painful past".