SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he intended to stick to existing agreements with Japan tied to its colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, including one on the treatment of Korean women forced to work in its military brothels.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged to "respect" North Korea's political system and said Seoul would not seek unilateral reunification in a speech to mark Liberation Day.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has been seeking to improve strained relations with Pyongyang, ordered his cabinet to prepare a partial step-by-step implementation of existing agreements with North Korea.