South Korea’s liberal President Lee Jae Myung says he’ll underscore the need for a practical, step-by-step denuclearization of North Korea during this week’s U.N. General Assembly, adding that both Seoul and Washington are willing to reengage with Pyongyang.
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Seoul → say → Pyongyang
“To change the direction of a moving vehicle, it must be brought to a halt first,” Lee said in written responses to questions by The Associated Press before his departure Monday to New York.
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Lee → change → York
“A phased approach of stop, reduction and dismantlement is a practical way of effectively resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.”
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approach → stop → issue
Lee’s push comes as North Korea is ramping up weapons testing activities even after U.S. President Donald Trump scaled back a major military exercise with South Korea in a conciliatory gesture toward leader Kim Jong Un, who viewed it as an invasion rehearsal.
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who → come → rehearsal
Lee advocates phased denuclearization of North Korea
North Korea’s evolving nuclear program has raised questions about whether its denuclearization can be achieved in a single step and given rise to calls for convincing North Korea to denuclearize in phases in return for corresponding economic and political benefits.
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denuclearization → advocate → benefits
Trump claimed last month that North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons, while some experts say the North has more than 100 warheads.
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North → claim → warheads
“Given the extent to which North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities have advanced, it is not a realistic solution to wait until complete denuclearization can be achieved all at once,” Lee said.
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Lee → give → which
“This is because, in the interim, North Korea’s nuclear capabilities will continue to advance, escalating the threat.”
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capabilities → continue → threat
During the annual U.N. gathering, Lee said he would pursue “a phased and pragmatic solution to the North Korean nuclear issue” and build on his vision for promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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he → say → Peninsula
Lee cited his recent offer for talks among concerned parties to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, through which he said ways to curb North Korea’s nuclear program could be explored.
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he → cite → program
There are concerns that a phased approach could eventually result in North Korea refusing to fully abandon its nuclear program after winning what it wants — like sanctions relief — in return for a partial surrender of its capability.
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it → be → capability
To prevent that, Lee called for comprehensive dialogue to establish a framework that benefits South Korea, the U.S. and North Korea alike, and stressed the need to show North Korea that “moving toward stable and lasting peace is a realistic and feasible path to a secure and prosperous future.”
South Korea, US want resumption of talks with North Korea
Whatever approach the U.S., South Korea and their partners take, it’s unclear whether North Korea would return to talks anytime soon.
When Trump, citing a “very good relationship” with Kim, scaled back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with South Korea last month, North Korea dismissed Trump’s outreach, saying that just cutting the drill won’t change its provocative nature.
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cutting → prevent → nature
It has since performed three rounds of weapons launch events and unleashed numerous statements criticizing what it called U.S. hostilities.
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it → perform → what
Experts say North Korea likely wants bigger U.S. concessions.
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Korea → say → concessions
Lee, who hopes a resumption of Trump-Kim diplomacy would lead to reopening dialogue between the two Koreas, called Trump’s action “a deliberate step to send a clear message that the United States has no hostile intent toward North Korea.”
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States → hop → Korea
He said both South Korea and the U.S. “remain open to engaging in dialogue with North Korea without preconditions.”
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Korea → say → preconditions
“What is needed now is a political decision at the leaders’ level.
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needed → need → level
The two leaders should build trust and work together to identify a common ground, face-to-face,” Lee said.
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Lee → build → face
Lee intends to strengthen ties with US
Trump’s social media post on the exercise’s downsizing came without prior consultations with South Korea, and mentioned what he called Lee’s refusal to join the U.S. in the “denuclearization” of Iran.
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he → intend → Iran
This raised worries about the alliance between South Korea and the U.S.
Lee admitted Trump’s decision came “somewhat unexpectedly.”
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decision → admit → Korea
But Lee said he would rather focus on the ultimate objective behind that decision, saying Trump expressed his commitment to creating conditions conducive to dialogue and that he shares the goal of reducing confrontation on the Korean Peninsula.
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he → say → Peninsula
Lee said the strategic interests of South Korea and the U.S. are deeply intertwined across a wide range of areas and that he intends to build a more mutually beneficial partnership during the rest of Trump’s term.
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he → say → term
For example, Lee said planned cooperation in shipbuilding will not only revitalize U.S. shipbuilding and naval power but also create new growth opportunities for South Korean businesses.
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cooperation → say → businesses
Lee said Friday that he won’t let his military be drawn into the U.S.-Iran conflict.
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military → say → conflict
He said his government was considering expanding the operations of a naval unit deployed in the Gulf of Aden to protect South Korean vessels and oil shipping routes.
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government → say → vessels
Lee was expected to meet Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting.
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Lee → expect → meeting
Lee calls for UN reforms
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Lee → call → reforms
Lee said the U.N.-centered multilateral system faces serious challenges, including intensifying geopolitical conflicts.
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system → say → conflicts
He said the existing multilateral system is failing to keep pace with common challenges like the climate crisis and the unintended consequences of the AI revolution.
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system → say → revolution
Calling for reforms at the U.N., Lee said redundancy and inefficiency across the organization must be addressed.
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redundancy → call → organization
He said greater authority must be granted to those working in the field, so that crises can be tackled swiftly and effectively.
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crises → say → field
During the U.N. General Assembly, Lee said he’ll also present South Korea’s push for more people to benefit from AI advances and call on other countries to join the effort.
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people → say → effort
Lee refrains from stating definite view on Kim’s daughter
Asked about the prominent teenage daughter of the 42-year-old North Korean leader, Lee said that his government has taken note of “her rising status” and is keeping all possibilities open over her.
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government → refrain → her
But Lee said “however, I believe we have to be careful about expressing a definite view at this stage.”
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we → say → stage
Lee’s comments stand in contrast to the repeated assessments by South Korea’s spy agency, which described her as Kim’s likely heir.
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which → stand → heir
Some experts disagree with that view, citing North Korea’s male-dominated power hierarchy system.
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experts → disagree → system
The Aporia
