President Moon Jae-in expressed concerns over social and ideological rifts in South Korea and asked the country's religious leaders to help address the problem.

At a luncheon with representatives from major faiths at his office on Monday, Moon said there's been political wrangling over prosecutorial reform and the establishment of an independent unit to investigate corruption by high-ranking officials.

Moon said the upcoming general elections in April are expected to further exacerbate political conflict, likely leading to conflict among the general public.

Vowing to work even harder towards national unity and harmony, Moon asked the country's religious community to play a bigger role.

It was the second time Moon referred to national unity since former Justice Minister Cho Kuk stepped down last week amid the prosecution's probe into corruption allegations surrounding his family.

Moon's appointment of Cho last month sharply divided the nation, with both supporters and opponents of Cho and his prosecutorial reform plan taking to the streets to advocate their respective positions.