South Korean leader turns to penguins in bid to meet Kim Jong Un

Writing on social media platform X, Lee said on Wednesday he hoped for the day that "the abnormal state of turmoil and hostility on the Korean peninsula will be overcome".

"Go meet, Po Jae Myung and Po Jong Un," a reference to "Pororo the Little Penguin", a popular Korean children's animation featuring penguin characters.

One of South Korea's most successful animated series, the programme's creators outsourced some work in its initial production phase to North Korean studios in the early 2000s.

Since then, North Korea has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state and its relations with the South have fallen to their worst levels in years.

Lee's predecessor, ousted last year for a failed bid to suspend civilian rule, stands accused of having tried to provoke Pyongyang as a pretext for declaring military rule.

Lee's post came as he returned from a visit to China, where he pitched Beijing as a partner in bringing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.

(AFP)