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By Micah McCartney
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung wants to resume dialogue with North Korea, laying out a three-step plan he hopes will convince Pyongyang to first walk back—and eventually abandon—its nuclear weapons program.
Why It Matters
Lee, a liberal in the Democratic Party of Korea, has pledged to deescalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula that peaked under his hardline predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.
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North Korea has cut off official communications with Seoul and Washington, while Kim Jong Un has expanded his nuclear program and test-fired missiles in defiance of United Nations Security Council sanctions.
Kim said his nuclear weapons are necessary to deter aggression by the United States and its allies. Last year, the North's rubber-stamp parliament enshrined the capability in the Constitution.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, China, and the White House via email for comment.
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What To Know
In an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, Lee warned against reengagement on the premise of continued North Korean nuclear development, saying the U.S. approach of "strategic patience" enabled the program's growth.
"Our goal is the denuclearization of the entire Korean Peninsula, but denuclearization cannot be achieved just by proclaiming it," he said. "In the first stage, we must freeze nuclear and missile [development]. In the second stage, reduce them, and in the third stage, aim for denuclearization."
He drew a contrast with the administration of Yoon, accusing the former president of a "confrontational" attitude that increased North Korean distrust.
"We must seek—and I believe we can find—a path to peaceful coexistence in which we are not threats to one another, recognize and respect each other, and prosper together," he said.
As part of near-term deescalation, Lee, who took office in June, has signaled support for restoring the 2018 inter-Korean agreement to suspend military activities near the border.
What People Are Saying
Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee, was quoted Tuesday by state media: "[South Korean leaders] continue to tediously talk about peace and improved relations, being well aware that it is impossible to realize them, because they have an ulterior motive to finally shift the responsibility for the DPRK-ROK relations failing to recover on to the DPRK."
(The Republic of Korea [ROK] and Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK] are the official names of South Korea and North Korea, respectively.)
Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Frank Aum, senior expert on Northeast Asia at the United States Institute of Peace, in a May article: "North Korea now possesses an advanced nuclear weapons program and has vowed repeatedly that it will not disarm [...]
"De-emphasizing denuclearization would render U.S. policy more consistent with the analytical reality that North Korea is unlikely to relinquish its nuclear weapons and therefore render progress on other key priorities vis-à-vis Pyongyang more likely."
What Happens Next
Lee will visit Japan on Saturday and Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, his office said during a press briefing Wednesday, per Reuters. The leaders are expected to discuss strengthening trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and ways to promote peace in the region.
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