At the UN, South Korean Leader Vows to Ease Tensions with North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday pledged to end the “vicious cycle of unnecessary military tensions” with North Korea, saying his goal is peaceful coexistence and shared development.

Delivering his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, Lee emphasized his vision of a “step-by-step resolution” to the North Korean nuclear issue, grounded in what he called “the sober recognition that denuclearization cannot be achieved in the short term.”

His remarks came just two days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejected any phased plan, dismissing recent overtures from Washington and Seoul as insincere, accusing them of seeking only to weaken Pyongyang. Kim said there would be no reason to avoid talks with the United States if Washington dropped its demand for him to give up nuclear weapons—but he vowed never to abandon his arsenal in exchange for the lifting of U.S.-led sanctions.

Lee told the Assembly that Seoul would “make steady efforts to reduce military tensions and rebuild inter-Korean trust,” citing recent steps such as halting propaganda leaflets and loudspeaker broadcasts into the North.

“By gradually expanding inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation, we will pave the way for lasting peace,” he said.

On Sunday, however, Kim declared he would “never again” engage in dialogue with Seoul. Still, he said he held “fond memories” of former U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he held several summits during Trump’s first term before talks collapsed over Washington’s insistence on denuclearization.

Trump said last month that he hoped to meet Kim again this year. Yet in his 55-minute speech at the UN on Tuesday, the U.S. leader made no mention of North Korea.