President Lee: "Halt North Korea's Nuclear and Missile Capability Advancement → Reduce It → A Nuclear-Free Korean Peninsula"

【Financial News, New York (United States) = Reporter Choi Jong-geun】On Sept. 22 local time, President Lee Jae Myung proposed a phased approach to the North Korean nuclear and missile issue: first halting the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities, reducing them over the medium term, and ultimately pursuing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula over the long term. He also presented a plan to end the Korean Peninsula's long-running war and transition to a peace regime, using the resumption of North Korea–United States dialogue as a springboard.
During his keynote address at the 81st UN General Assembly at UN Headquarters that day, President Lee, who was visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly, said, "I believe we can halt the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities, reduce them over the medium term, and ultimately move toward a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula over the long term."
President Lee also made clear that he intended to pursue a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue in conjunction with efforts to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
President Lee said, "Above all, the most important task is to end the Korean Peninsula's long-standing war and establish a peace regime," adding, "A peace regime on the Korean Peninsula is a key task whose necessity has long been recognized and discussed not only by the two Koreas but also by the countries concerned, including the United States and China."
He particularly stressed that restarting the long-stalled North Korea–United States dialogue could serve as the starting point for transitioning to a peace regime. President Lee stated, "The Republic of Korea will work to lay the groundwork for the long-stalled North Korea–United States dialogue to resume as soon as possible and develop into dialogue among the parties concerned aimed at ending the war on the Korean Peninsula and transitioning to a peace regime."
He continued, "I am confident that dialogue to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula will serve as a highly useful framework not only for normalizing relations among the parties concerned, but also for promoting joint growth through multilateral cooperation and stability and cooperation in Northeast Asia."
President Lee also presented a three-point blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula: △ inclusive peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect; △ stable peaceful coexistence in which there is no need to fight; and △ responsible peaceful coexistence that contributes to world peace.
President Lee said, "On the international stage as well, we will respect North Korea and cooperate where we can," adding, "I hope that avenues will open for joint cooperation at the level of the international community on such issues as health, disasters, and the climate crisis."
He also said, "We will seek joint growth through cooperation, based on mutual respect for the systems of the two Koreas and recognition of their differences." He added, "I believe that restoring even basic communication channels and building trust will be the first step toward stable peaceful coexistence."
He called on the international community to play its part in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. President Lee said, "I expect the United Nations, which created a decisive moment for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula 35 years ago, and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which has safeguarded peace and stability in the international community, to once again fulfill a responsible and constructive role."
He added, "As a party directly involved in peace on the Korean Peninsula and a pace-setter, our government will do everything in its power to open and sustain the path to dialogue."
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