South Korean president urges US to ease sanctions on North Korea — Channel NewsAsia
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has called on the United States to ease sanctions on North Korea in exchange for an agreement to freeze its nuclear weapons programs. Channel NewsAsia reports, citing the president’s interview with The New York Times.
Sanctions proposal
Lee said he sees significant value in exchanging the easing of sanctions, which he said are not particularly effective, for North Korea halting the development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technologies.
According to the South Korean president, pursuing complete denuclearization under the current circumstances will not produce results. After reaching an agreement to freeze the nuclear programs, trust could gradually be built through mutual incentives and concessions in order to persuade Pyongyang to reduce its nuclear arsenal, he said.
Assessments of nuclear capability
Lee described the current stalemate as too risky. Citing South Korean estimates, he said that North Korea is capable of producing, or is already producing, an additional 10 to 20 nuclear weapons annually.
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The president also expressed the view that after accumulating enough nuclear weapons and missiles to guarantee its own survival, North Korea may be tempted to export them for profit.
South Korean officials have said they are moving away from a “denuclearization first” approach in favor of a “peace first” approach. At the same time, relations between the two Koreas remain frozen: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has abandoned Pyongyang’s reunification policy, called South Korea the most hostile state, and ordered defenses on the front line to be strengthened.
US President Donald Trump seeks to hold a new meeting with Kim Jong Un, and Lee has said he is interested in such talks. This week, Lee plans to present his vision of peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula at the UN.
