President Lee: "We Will Not Abandon Denuclearization Goal... Negotiations Should Start with Halting North Korea's Nuclear Material and ICBM Development"

"Limited Effectiveness of Sanctions... Leaving Reality Unattended Is the Most Irresponsible"

"Calls for South Korea's Nuclear Armament Are Irresponsible... Concerns Over a Nuclear Domino Effect in East Asia"

On Inter-Korean Relations: "Deter

On June 8, President Lee Jae-myung addressed the North Korean nuclear issue, stating, "We must not abandon the goal of denuclearization," but also emphasized, "In the short term, negotiations should aim to halt additional production of nuclear materials and the development of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology."

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the first anniversary press conference held at the Blue House State Guest House on June 8, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At the first anniversary press conference held at the Blue House State Guest House that day, President Lee commented on the North Korean denuclearization issue, saying, "We must not be consumed by either reality or ideals." He added, "We should not ignore reality by clinging to ideals, nor should we abandon our objectives and ideals by being overly fixated on reality. The most irresponsible thing in politics is to neglect problems."

President Lee assessed that there are limits to the effectiveness of current sanctions against North Korea. He said, "We are imposing the maximum sanctions possible, but we cannot be sure whether the door to China is fully closed, and the door to Russia is certainly open. No matter how much pressure we apply, North Korea finds ways to circumvent it, so the sanctions are not effective."

He also highlighted that North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities continue to advance. President Lee stated, "At this very moment, North Korea is producing nuclear material. They are producing enough material to make around 10 to 15, or even up to 20, nuclear weapons a year, and this stockpile keeps growing." He continued, "Their ballistic missile and ICBM technology has also been improving and is considered to be reaching its final stage. If the current situation continues, North Korea's nuclear arsenal will continue to expand, and its ICBM technology will near completion."

President Lee cited these realities as reasons why a step-by-step approach is necessary. He said, "Even just halting the current state would benefit the international community and the Korean Peninsula," and added, "As a short-term goal, negotiations should focus on stopping additional production of nuclear material, prohibiting the transfer of nuclear material abroad, and halting the development of ICBM technology."

However, President Lee drew a clear line, stating that the goal of denuclearization itself must not be abandoned. He emphasized, "Let us not give up on the goal of denuclearization," and added, "In the long term, we must move toward denuclearization." He also remarked, "It's not something that will happen just by wishing for it," and said, "We need to create a situation where North Korea no longer feels that its regime is threatened and can consider giving up its nuclear weapons."

On the domestic debate over South Korea's own nuclear armament, President Lee expressed a negative stance. He said, "If South Korea goes nuclear, do you think Japan or Taiwan will just sit by? It is undesirable for Northeast Asia to become full of nuclear weapons." He further pointed out, "South Korea has a very high dependency on foreign countries, so if we are subject to international sanctions, we cannot survive. The call for nuclear armament is both unrealistic and irresponsible."

President Lee said that he has explained this step-by-step approach on the North Korean nuclear issue to world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump. He remarked, "I have discussed this with President Trump a couple of times, and I continue to share it with other leaders as well. If we do nothing, the situation will only get worse. We need to be realistic."

Regarding inter-Korean relations, President Lee assessed, "Relations have deteriorated to the point where they can hardly get any worse." Nevertheless, he stated, "We aim to pursue dialogue, communication, cooperation, coexistence, and joint prosperity. To do so, we must respect the other party." He continued, "Diplomacy continues even during war. Even if we strike with the right hand and fight, we must hold the other party's hand with the left. Communication is essential to prevent unnecessary sacrifices and at least enable prisoner exchanges."

On the growing closeness among China, Russia, and North Korea, President Lee stressed the need to manage relations with neighboring countries. Responding to a question about Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea and the tightening ties between North Korea and Russia, he said, "President Xi's visit to North Korea, the close relationship between Russia and North Korea, and the transformation of the inter-Korean border from a dotted line to a solid line and a barrier are all ongoing, but we must continue to engage in dialogue."

He said, "While it is clear that we must respect and develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance in a future-oriented way, that is not all. We also need to normalize and manage relations with China, Russia, and Japan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.