South Korean President Lee Jae-myung delivering a Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, 2025 | Image: ROK Presidential Office

South Korean presidents traditionally use their Aug. 15 Liberation Day speeches to outline policy directions on North Korea, whether that's calling for "freedom-based unification" or making plans to jointly host the Olympics.

But two months into his term, Lee Jae-myung appeared to signal on Friday that he is not actually interested in pursuing unification -- without explicitly saying so.

In his address marking the 80th anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee focused on themes of popular sovereignty, industrial innovation, national pride and domestic reconciliation, while notably continuing his conservative predecessor's emphasis on "future-oriented