In brief
President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea indicated in a recent BBC interview that he would accept a deal between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un focused on freezing North Korea's nuclear weapon production. He described this approach as a feasible interim measure rather than full denuclearization. Lee emphasized the urgent need for realistic goals to alleviate tensions on the Korean Peninsula while maintaining aspirations for disarmament in the long term.
South Korea's president has said he would agree to a deal between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in which North Korea agreed to freeze production of its nuclear weapons, rather than get rid of them.
Lee Jae Myung told the BBC North Korea was producing an additional 15-20 nuclear weapons a year and that a freeze - as 'an interim emergency measure' - would be 'a feasible, realistic alternative' to denuclearisation for now.
North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2022 and vowed to never relinquish its weapons.
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, Lee Jae Myung said.
The South Korean leader has been vocal about wanting President Trump to resume nuclear talks with Kim, which broke down in 2019 during Trump's first term, after the US asked the North to dismantle its nuclear facilities.
In a speech to parliament, the North Korean leader suggested he would be willing to negotiate with Trump – but only if the US dropped its demand for denuclearisation.
Lee told the BBC that he thought it possible that Trump and Kim could come back together, given they 'seem to have a degree of mutual trust'. This could benefit South Korea and contribute to global peace and security, he added.
The BBC sat down with the South Korean president at his office in Seoul, ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
South Korea currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council. Lee expressed concern over the growing ties between Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang, indicating it puts South Korea in a 'very difficult situation'.
