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Lee Unveils Three-Stage Denuclearization Plan as North Korea Rejects Overtures

Seoul is seeking allied buy-in to give its freeze-to-dismantle roadmap a chance.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, arrives at the Vostochny Сosmodrome before a meeting of Russia's President Vladimir Putin with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool/File Photo
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - 2024/10/23: A 24-hour Yonhapnews TV broadcast at Yongsan Railway Station in Seoul showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting a strategic missile base at an undisclosed location in North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged enhancing the country's war deterrence, including nuclear readiness, citing growing U.S. nuclear threats, state media reported on October 23. During an inspection of a strategic missile base, Kim reviewed its capabilities and operational readiness. The location and date of the inspection were not disclosed. (Photo by Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Overview

  • President Lee Jae Myung outlined a phased approach—freeze, then reduce, then dismantle—pursued in close coordination with the United States alongside renewed inter-Korean dialogue efforts.
  • Kim Yo Jong declared that South Korea "cannot be a diplomatic partner" and condemned the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises as a reckless invasion rehearsal.
  • Kim Jong Un criticized the allied drills and vowed a rapid expansion of nuclear forces after inspecting a warship being fitted with nuclear-capable systems.
  • South Korea’s presidential office and unification ministry defended the outreach as aimed at stability and prosperity for both Koreas and pledged to continue pursuing talks.
  • Lee travels to Tokyo for a summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba before meeting President Donald Trump on Aug. 25, with the sessions set to address coordination on North Korea policy.