South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed on Tuesday to end a "vicious cycle of unnecessary military tensions" with North Korea, with the aim of achieving peaceful coexistence and shared growth.
In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Lee emphasized his vision of a "phased solution" to the North Korean nuclear issue, "based on a cool-headed perception that denuclearization cannot be achieved in the short term."
On Sunday, the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea, Kim Jong Un, rejected any phased plan, saying recent overtures from Washington and Seoul for dialogue were disingenuous because their fundamental intent to weaken Pyongyang remained unchanged.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.