Overview

• President Lee Jae Myung introduced the three-stage END roadmap—exchange, normalization, then denuclearization—in his U.N. General Assembly address, stressing phased progress and verification.
• A Facebook post by Lee asserting South Korea can defend itself independently was widely read as a reference to the 28,500 U.S. troops, prompting concern over mixed signals about the alliance.
• North Korea recently declared it would not meet with Seoul and called denuclearization unconstitutional, underscoring immediate hurdles to Lee’s proposal.
• Commentaries warn that engagement could drift without enforceable checks, urging measures such as snapback sanctions and rigorously monitored steps tied to verifiable nuclear constraints.
• Reporting highlights unresolved differences with Washington over a reported $350 billion investment framework, with some analysis speculating that hard-edged rhetoric may be a negotiating tactic.