President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech marking the 79th Liberation Day in central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that the government will work to provide North Korean residents with more information about the outside world as part of South Korea's revised doctrine on unification.

Although he also suggested dialogue and cooperation with the North, the doctrine primarily focuses on strategies to challenge the Kim Jong-un regime and influence its residents — a stance which is likely to provoke stronger resistance from the regime rather than fostering acceptance of the dialogue offer.

Yoon announced the "Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine," a revised inter-Korean unification vision that updates the earlier doctrine announced in 1994. He revealed this vision during his Liberation Day speech, stating that despite gaining independence from Japanese colonial rule (1910-45), "complete liberation remains an unfinished task" as long as the Korean Peninsula remains divided.

A key pillar of Yoon's unification doctrine is its strong emphasis on inducing change within the Kim regime and the people of North Korea. The goal is to cultivate a strong desire for unification among North Koreans, based on the principles of freedom.

"We must be more proactive in extending the value of freedom to the North and drive substantial changes. Above all, we will adopt a multifaceted approach to significantly improve human rights in North Korea. It is crucial to accurately inform our own citizens and the international community about the harsh realities of the human rights situation in North Korea," Yoon said during the ceremony.

For this change, Yoon emphasized the importance of awakening North Korean people to the value of freedom, indicating that the government will continue its propaganda campaign using various tools.

"We will expand the right of access to information so that North Koreans can utilize various channels to obtain a broad range of outside information," he said.

Yoon also pledged to establish a North Korea freedom and human rights fund to actively support nongovernmental efforts that promote freedom and human rights in the North.

A senior presidential office official explained that the fund is intended to officially support private organizations in openly discussing North Korea's human rights issues. The official noted that this fund should be viewed separately from the activities of some North Korean defector groups that send balloons carrying anti-regime propaganda leaflets.

The president said his government will continue efforts to improve North Korea's human rights, including hosting an international conference on the issue. The administration aims to broaden the discussion on North Korean human rights through extensive cooperation with NGOs both domestically and internationally, as well as with other countries.

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech marking the 79th Liberation Day in central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of the presidential office

Yoon also urged North Korea to establish a working-level dialogue channel promptly to address matters affecting the two Koreas.

"We will keep the door to inter-Korean dialogue wide open. Such dialogue should not be merely a political spectacle but should instead provide a substantive opportunity to discuss, for example, guaranteeing peace for our people, improving North Korea's situation, and enhancing the lives of all involved," Yoon said.

The president stressed that the two Koreas can "immediately begin political and economic cooperation the moment North Korea takes just one step toward denuclearization," urging the North to respond to the proposal.

He proposed that the two Koreas establish an "Inter-Korean Working Group" to address various issues, including the easing of tensions, economic cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as responses to disasters and climate change.

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech marking the 79th Liberation Day in central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of the presidential office

Lastly, Yoon stressed that South Korea will play a responsible role in the international community and collaborate with global partners as it pursues its unification policies.

"Our unification is a significant undertaking to spread the universal values of freedom and human rights and has a direct bearing on world peace and the prosperity of humanity. We must make sure that the international community is convinced that a unified Republic of Korea will be a country that contributes to peace and prosperity around the world," he said.