Volkswacht Bodensee - South Korean president vows to build 'military trust' with North

Lee has pledged to pursue dialogue with the nuclear-armed North without preconditions since his election in June, a reversal from his hawkish predecessor.

He said the South Korean government "will take consistent measures to substantially reduce tensions and restore trust" with the North.

"We affirm our respect for the North's current system," he said at an event marking the anniversary of liberation from Japanese rule, adding that Seoul had "no intention of engaging in hostile acts".

"I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue," Lee said.

"North and South are not enemies."

Lee's speech came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North has "no will to improve relations" with the South.

She also denied reports that North Korea was removing propaganda loudspeakers.

- Liberation holiday -

The South's military said in June that the two countries had halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, adding last week that it had detected North Korean troops dismantling loudspeakers on the frontier.

Friday's August 15 anniversary of liberation from Japan is the only public holiday celebrated in both North and South Korea, according to Seoul's National Institute for Unification Education.

Kim Jong Un also made a speech at a liberation day celebration in Pyongyang, urging the nation to overcome "the challenges facing the DPRK for the great powerful country", using the North's official acronym.

He also praised North Korea's ties with Russia, saying the two countries were creating "a history of justice" towards "defending their national dignity and sovereignty and safeguarding global peace and security".

However, in an unusual move for a Liberation Day address, he made no mention of South Korea or the North's "enemies".

The speech was made before a Russian delegation that is in Pyongyang and includes the speaker of the Duma, who read a congratulatory letter sent to Kim Jong Un by President Vladimir Putin.

The North Korean leader's speech was a "stark contrast" to his sister's "fiery statements", Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

"There were no messages aimed at South Korea or the United States, no references to enemies or hostile states, and no provocative mentions of nuclear forces," Yang said.

B.Baumann--VB