Lee made the appeal during his first trip to the truce village of Panmunjom since his inauguration in July, also expressing hope for reopening severed communication lines and "open-minded" dialogue between the two Koreas as soon as possible. Lee's trip came days ahead of the second anniversary of a summit agreement signed between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018, to reduce tensions and bolster cooperation.