South Korean President Lee Jae-myung pledged to “restore the spirit” of a 2018 military agreement with North Korea that aimed to reduce border tensions on Thursday, reaffirming his intent to revive inter-Korean dialogue.

Experts interpreted his remarks as an acknowledgement of the difficulty of restoring the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) itself, after both Koreas abandoned the deal in recent years amid growing hostilities.

In a social media post marking the seventh anniversary of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration and the CMA, Lee said his administration would stabilize inter-Korean ties “step by step.”

“Trust once broken cannot be restored overnight,” Lee said.