Seoul Requests Suspension of North Korea's Nuclear Program with China's Mediation

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung Seeks China's Support

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has announced that he has asked his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to play a mediator role as his government seeks to improve relations with the North and resume negotiations regarding its nuclear program. Speaking in Shanghai at the end of a four-day state visit to China, Lee proposed suspending North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for "compensation or some form of reward."

"Stopping at the current level – without additional nuclear weapons production, without transfers of nuclear materials abroad, and without further development of intercontinental ballistic missiles – would already be a gain," Lee told the press after meeting with top Chinese officials, including his second meeting with Xi in two months. "If this stage is reached, then in the medium term we can advance toward gradual reduction," he added. "In the long term, we must not abandon the goal of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula."

Lee spoke with journalists on the final day of his visit, which marked the first state visit by a South Korean leader to China in the past six years. The visit aimed to reset relations between the two countries following a difficult period in recent years caused by a dispute over the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea in 2017. Lee stated that significant progress had been made in rebuilding trust and told Xi that he would like China to play a mediating role on issues concerning the Korean peninsula, including North Korea's nuclear program.

"All our channels are completely blocked," Lee said. "We hope that China can act as... a mediator for peace." Xi urged Seoul to demonstrate "patience" in its relations with Pyongyang, considering the complexity of ties between the two Koreas, Lee noted. "And they are right. For a long time, we have conducted military actions that North Korea would perceive as threatening," he stated.

The former South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who has been ousted, was charged for attempting to provoke military aggression from North Korea to strengthen his power. Last Monday, Pyongyang confirmed that it had conducted hypersonic missile test flights, with leader Kim Jong Un stating that it is important to "expand... nuclear deterrence" in light of the "recent geopolitical crisis," apparently referring to Washington's actions against Venezuela and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.