The South Korean president strikes a conciliatory tone with the North over the sinking of its warship, saying he wants the South to live in peace and prosperity along with its northern neighbor, PRESS TV reported.
"We have an unachieved dream... It is to become a unified country living in freedom, peace and prosperity with North Korean compatriots who are still suffering from poverty and suppression," the Associated Press quoted President Lee Myung-bak as saying on Sunday.
His comments come amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the sinking of a South Korean warship near a disputed sea border with the North.
The remarks, which were made at a Memorial Day ceremony in Seoul in honor of the fallen soldiers, are believed to be a shift in South Korean policy regarding the sunken ship.
Earlier on Friday, the South asked the UN Security Council to punish the North for the attack with President Myung-bak accusing North Korea of undermining global peace.
Seoul blames Pyongyang for torpedoing one of its warships earlier in March and killing 46 sailors onboard.
The North, however, denies the allegation and has threatened to launch an "all-out war" if the South takes a step to retaliate over the torpedo attack.