The South Korean president has said he would be prepared to accept an agreement negotiated between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un aimed at halting North Korea’s nuclear program.
Lee Jae Myung told the BBC that Pyongyang is producing between 15 and 20 nuclear weapons a year and that stopping the programme could serve as an “interim emergency measure“.
North Korea declared itself a military power in 2022, with ambitions to build a substantial stockpile of nuclear warheads. Several rounds of negotiations have previously failed, and Pyongyang now routinely rejects talks.
“So long as we do not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearisation, I believe there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development,” the South Korean president said.
“The question is whether we persist with fruitless attempts towards the ultimate goal [of denuclearisation], or we set more realistic goals and achieve some of them,” he added.
Since taking office in June, Lee has emphasised the need to restart calmer dialogue with North Korea.
