Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called for dialogue between North and South Korea to de-escalate tensions arising from recent provocations. He expressed concern that the peace established on the Korean Peninsula is in jeopardy due to the tit-for-tat actions between the two Koreas, including North Korea's sending of trash-carrying balloons and South Korean civic groups' distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets. Lee emphasized the need for North Korea to cease its provocative actions and work towards establishing a lasting peace regime, as outlined in the June 15 Declaration from 2000. The heightened tensions were triggered by North Korea's dispatch of over 1,000 balloons carrying trash to the South in response to anti-Pyongyang leafleting. This led South Korea to fully suspend an inter-Korean tension reduction pact from 2018 and resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts near the border after a six-year hiatus. Despite the ban on such acts, defector groups in South Korea have continued to send balloons with leaflets and goods across the border, further contributing to the escalating situation. Lee also urged the South Korean government to consider the potential impact on ordinary citizens and residents near the border when adopting a hard-line stance in response to these provocations.