President Lee Jae-myung has proposed trading sanctions relief for a freeze in North Korea's nuclear development as a way to resolve the nuclear standoff. In an interview with The New York Times published on the 22nd, during a visit to the United States for the U.N. General Assembly, Lee said, "In the current situation, it is certain that nothing can be achieved if denuclearization is the goal," and that the demand on North Korea's nuclear program should be a "freeze" rather than "dismantlement." He added that "swapping sanctions that have had little effect for a halt to the development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology carries considerable value." In effect, he reiterated his "END Initiative," a three-stage vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula that moves from inter-Korean exchange to normalization of relations and then denuclearization.
Lee appears to regard easing sanctions as the realistic option if it can halt the advance of North Korea's nuclear capabilities. The remarks are also read as a determination to block the possibility of Washington and Pyongyang striking a side deal that bypasses Seoul, and to serve as a "pacemaker" for peace on the peninsula. In an interview with The Associated Press, Lee told the U.S. administration that "what is needed now is a decision at the summit level," stressing that "the two leaders must meet directly and find common ground." Yet there is deep concern that effectively treating North Korea's nuclear possession as a settled fact would make the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula harder to reach and could disrupt coordination with allies. Lee himself reaffirmed the principle of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at a summit with European Union leaders in June this year.
Improving relations with North Korea and resuming dialogue for denuclearization talks are necessary. But putting sanctions relief first risks sending the wrong signal that Seoul is prepared to accept Pyongyang's position that denuclearization talks are off the table. The White House says there has been no change in its principle of North Korean denuclearization, yet President Donald Trump has signaled a willingness to negotiate while acknowledging the North's nuclear possession. If South Korea is swayed by Pyongyang's strategy of engaging Washington while shutting out Seoul, the alliance and security on the peninsula could be shaken. Lee should use the visit to the United States to further strengthen security cooperation with Washington and make clear that there will be no concession on the principle of denuclearization. Consistent management of the message matters now, if only to stop North Korea's nuclear program from advancing further.
