President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that South Korea must act patiently and proactively to ease inter-Korean hostility and foster trust, stressing the need to take the initiative in improving relations with North Korea.

Speaking at a policy briefing by the foreign and unification ministries on Friday, Lee said the two Koreas, which once only pretended to be enemies, now appear to be becoming genuine adversaries.

The president said the current demilitarized zone standoff is unprecedented, citing triple-layered barbed-wire fences and severed roads as signs that unnecessary hard-line policies have deepened mutual hatred.

Lee said that though South Koreans have long been taught that the North seeks to invade the South, Pyongyang's apparent fear of an incursion from Seoul has also driven it to build fences and barriers.

Lee acknowledged that there is currently almost no room to pursue peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity, but stressed that even if the impasse is part of North Korea’s strategy, it must be changed, and the Unification Ministry should play its role in the change. 

Turning to diplomacy, the president urged the foreign ministry to play a stronger role in promoting peace and expanding South Korea’s economic outreach, noting that foreign policy is increasingly vital amid rapid shifts in the global order.