Overview

• Lee outlined the ‘END’ initiative — exchange, normalization and denuclearization — and proposed a phased nuclear plan of stop, reduction and dismantlement.
• Seoul has halted loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflet launches, reaffirmed respect for the North’s system and ruled out unification by absorption or hostile acts.
• After meeting Lee, U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres praised the approach and pledged active institutional support, according to the presidential office.
• North Korea rejected talks with Seoul as Kim Jong Un said dialogue with Washington would require dropping denuclearization demands and reiterated he would keep his arsenal.
• Washington reaffirmed its policy of complete North Korean denuclearization as Lee broadened outreach through bilateral meetings with Czech and Uzbek leaders and prepared to chair a U.N. Security Council debate on responsible AI.