CaliToday (22/9/2025): In a significant policy shift, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has stated he would accept a deal between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that freezes, rather than completely eliminates, Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
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| Presidents Lee and Trump met at the White House in late August [Getty Images] |
Speaking to the BBC, President Lee argued that with North Korea producing an estimated 15-20 new nuclear weapons each year, a verifiable freeze as an "interim emergency measure" would be a "viable and realistic alternative" to the long-stalled goal of complete denuclearization.
North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2022 and has since vowed to never relinquish its arsenal. With Pyongyang refusing all invitations to return to negotiations since 2019, President Lee is championing a more pragmatic approach.
"As long as we don't give up on the long-term goal of denuclearization, I believe North Korea halting its nuclear and missile development would bring clear benefits," he said. "The question is whether we continue futile efforts towards the ultimate goal [of denuclearization], or we set more realistic goals and achieve some of them."
The interview took place in President Lee's Seoul office ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, where South Korea currently holds the presidency of the Security Council.
A World Dividing
President Lee, who took office in June after his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for attempting to impose martial law, is aiming to reposition South Korea in a volatile world. He has been vocal in his desire for President Trump to resume the nuclear talks with Kim that broke down in 2019, suggesting the two leaders "seem to have a certain level of mutual trust."
However, he acknowledged the immense difficulty of the current geopolitical landscape, noting the growing alignment between Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang, which was starkly displayed at a recent military parade in China.
"The world is dividing into two camps, and South Korea is right on the frontier," he said, describing his country's "truly precarious position" next to China and Russia. "The situation is becoming more and more difficult. But these camps cannot be completely closed off, so we can position ourselves somewhere in between."
This careful balancing act was evident as Lee, a once hard-left opposition leader, now presents himself as a centrist. He condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but was cautious about completely severing ties. "Relations between countries are not simple, and we seek to cooperate whenever possible and strive to coexist peacefully," he stated.
Navigating a 'Shocking' Relationship with the U.S.
Lee's pragmatism is born from necessity. The risks of over-reliance on the U.S., he noted, have never been clearer. Despite his administration successfully negotiating a reduction in U.S. tariffs, the relationship has been fraught.
Two weeks ago, U.S. immigration officials arrested hundreds of South Korean workers building an EV battery plant in Georgia part of a multi-hundred-billion-dollar investment commitment by South Korea to the U.S. While his government secured their release a week later, the incident was deeply damaging.
"As president, I feel a great sense of responsibility for the harsh treatment our citizens suffered," he said, describing the raid as "shocking." He warned that South Korean companies might now be "more hesitant to invest in the U.S."
Yet, he hopes to turn the crisis into an opportunity, quoting a Korean proverb: "After the rain, the ground gets harder," suggesting the incident could ultimately strengthen the U.S.-South Korea relationship.
A New Approach to the North
Domestically, Lee is trying to heal a polarized nation. After taking office, he halted propaganda radio broadcasts into North Korea, a move criticized by human rights groups but one he defends as a necessary trust-building measure.
"We judged that [the broadcasts] had almost no practical effect," Lee argued, stating that any benefits were outweighed by the cost of antagonizing the regime. "It is important to restore trust between the South and North, especially as the previous government's stance towards the North was very hostile."
While Pyongyang has so far rejected his overtures, calling him "delusional," Lee remains steadfast. He understands, perhaps better than his predecessors, that North Korea's nuclear weapons cannot simply be negotiated away at least not right now. By endorsing a nuclear freeze, he is signaling to Washington and the world that realism, not idealism, may be the only viable path to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
