Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Friday called for shifting away from a denuclearization-first approach to North Korea. He argued that the precondition has stalled diplomacy and allowed Pyongyang to advance its nuclear capabilities over the past three decades.
Chung made the remarks in a keynote speech at the Korean Peninsula Symposium, co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency. "As the past 30 years have shown, whenever peace talks were halted by the denuclearization hurdle, North Korea used that time to further advance its nuclear capabilities," he said.
He stressed the need to move away from the old notion that a peace regime can only be discussed after the nuclear issue is resolved. Instead, he proposed a three-stage approach of freeze, reduction and denuclearization.
Chung said the process must begin with dialogue between the United States and North Korea. Referencing the 2018 Singapore summit agreement, he urged both sides to immediately resume talks to end mutual hostility and establish a new relationship.
