South Korean President Lee Jae Myung says he will press at the United Nations this week for a phased approach to denuclearizing North Korea. The plan emphasizes step-by-step measures rather than a single, immediate end state, with Lee describing a sequence that includes stopping, reducing, and dismantling North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
In the lead-up to the U.N. General Assembly, multiple outlets report that Lee frames the proposal as more practical given uncertainties around whether full denuclearization can be achieved at once. One outlet also ties the push to recent developments in regional diplomacy and military posture, noting that North Korea continues weapons testing while South Korea and the United States are said to be open to re-engaging with Pyongyang. The overall emphasis across reports is that Lee is using the U.N. platform to argue for a workable roadmap that can maintain momentum toward denuclearization while accounting for North Korea’s pace of activities.
