Lee Jae Myung unveiled his ‘END initiative’ for peace on the Korean Peninsula during an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License Photo
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday pledged “to end the vicious cycle of unnecessary inter-Korean military tension and hostile acts,” while unveiling a peace initiative that includes a “phased solution” to denuclearizing North Korean.
Lee made the remarks during his debut address before the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
While highlighting his administration’s efforts to improve relations with the North, Lee proposed a new dialogue initiative centered around “exchange, normalization and denuclearization,” which he described with the acronym “END.”
South Korea “will end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula through the END initiative and fulfill its responsibility and role to contribute to world peace and prosperity,” Lee said.
“The first step will be to restore broken inter-Korean trust and shift to a stance of mutual respect,” he said.
Lee’s administration has made efforts to reduce tensions between the two Koreas since he took office in June, with conciliatory gestures such as removing propaganda loudspeakers from border areas. Last month, Lee pledged to “respect” North Korea’s political system and said Seoul would not seek unilateral reunification or engage in hostile acts.
“Going forward, the government of the Republic of Korea will consistently seek a path to reduce military tensions and restore inter-Korean trust,” Lee said Tuesday. “The most certain peace is a state where there is no need to fight.”
His remarks about the END initiative were short on details, but Lee said that Seoul would work to expand inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation while encouraging dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
“We will provide our active support and cooperation for efforts to normalize relations with the international community, including between the United States and the DPRK,” Lee said, using the official acronym for North Korea.
He also called for a “pragmatic and phased solution” to North Korea’s nuclear program, starting with a halt to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons development. The next step would be a reduction of the arsenal before its final dismantlement, Lee said.
“Denuclearization is undoubtedly a grave task, but it is time to seek realistic and rational solutions based on a cool-headed perception that denuclearization cannot be achieved in the short term,” he said.
On Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejected any phased approach toward disarmament, saying the country would never relinquish its nuclear weapons.
“The concept of ‘denuclearization’ has already lost its meaning,” Kim said. “The world already knows what the United States does after making a country give up its nuclear weapons and disarm.”
However, Kim said that he has “fond memories” of his previous meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and indicated he would be open to holding new talks if denuclearization were off the table.
Trump said last month he planned to meet with Kim again, but did not mention North Korea in his own lengthy address to the General Assembly on Tuesday.
