South Korea's Lee urges US to ease North Korea sanctions to freeze nuclear programs, NYT says

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has urged the United States to ease sanctions on North Korea in exchange for an agreement under which Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear weapons programs, the New York Times reported.

"I believe there is significant value ‌in a trade-off between sanctions — which are not particularly effective anyway — and a stop to the development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology," the newspaper quoted Lee as saying in an interview. Lee also said that pursuing denuclearization under the current circumstances meant that nothing would be accomplished. Once a nuclear weapons freeze was secured, trust could be built through reciprocal incentives and ‌concessions to eventually convince North Korea to reduce its nuclear arsenal, he said.

The current stalemate was simply too risky to be allowed to continue, Lee said, citing South ‌Korean assessments that North Korea was now capable of producing, or may already be producing, an additional 10 to 20 nuclear weapons each year. "Once it believes it has accumulated enough nuclear weapons and missiles to guarantee its survival, it will be tempted to export them to make money," he said. "That will be a truly dangerous moment."

South Korean officials have said that they are moving away from a "denuclearization first" policy in favor of a "peace first" ⁠approach towards ​North Korea, with Lee pledging last year to respect ⁠North Korea's system and seek peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang. Relations between the Koreas remain frozen, however. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has abandoned Pyongyang's reunification policy, describing the South as its most hostile state and ordering stronger ⁠frontline defenses.

The U.S. State Department and White House did not respond to requests for comment on Lee's remarks to the newspaper. U.S. President Donald Trump held unprecedented summits with Kim during his first term, ​but the diplomacy broke down over U.S. demands that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons. Trump is seeking a new meeting with the North Korean leader ⁠and the South Korean president is keen to see the talks happen.

In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Lee reiterated support for a phased approach, saying efforts should begin with "a stop to ⁠further ​advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities," followed by reductions over the medium term and eventual denuclearization. Lee urged a resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks and said "the most critical task" was to formally end the Korean War and establish a lasting peace regime on the peninsula.

"I hope the long-suspended dialogue between North Korea and the US can ⁠resume without delay," he said. Lee said South Korea would pursue "inclusive, peaceful coexistence" with North Korea and pledged to respect its system, seek cooperation where possible and work to re-establish channels ⁠of communication and build trust.

Jenny Town of ⁠Washington's 38 North think tank, which focuses on North Korea, said Lee's sanctions proposal reflected recognition that North Korea's nuclear capabilities have advanced significantly since the last round of talks, making a phased approach more realistic. "That means the price of any concessions on its nuclear program, if ‌still possible, has gone ‌up," she said.