During his inaugural speech to the United Nations General Assembly, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, vowed to end the “vicious cycle of unnecessary military tensions” with North Korea. Introducing his idea related to peace, Lee offered his perspective that the nuclear issue should be approached gradually noting that there is no fast track to full denuclearization, and he emphasized a trust-building process through limited, gradual means including no more propaganda broadcasts and further inter-Korean exchanges were being put into place as a strategy of building a baseline for the long run.
However, there is still a long way to go before dialogue can resume. Just days before Lee’s remarks, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejected the idea of phased resolution and accused both Seoul and Washington of disingenuousness. He then reiterated that Pyongyang would never give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for sanctions relief; though Kim did leave open the possibility of talks with the U.S. based on getting the demands for denuclearization off the table, he closed the door on conversation with Seoul. Nevertheless, Lee reiterated South Korea’s commitment to coexistence and cooperation, and emphasized building an incremental foundation of trust to lay a pathway to sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.
