South Korea's Lee urges US to ease sanctions in return for North Korean nuclear freeze

Phased approach to Pyongyang

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called on the United States to ease economic sanctions on North Korea in exchange for a freeze on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile programs. Speaking in interviews with The New York Times and The Associated Press ahead of his departure for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lee described the proposal as a pragmatic shift away from demanding immediate disarmament. He stated that requiring complete denuclearization before offering economic relief has stalled diplomatic progress while North Korea continues to expand its arsenal. Lee outlined a sequential formula consisting of a halt to development, followed by reductions, and concluding with dismantlement.

To change the direction of a moving vehicle, it must be brought to a halt first. A phased approach of stop, reduction and dismantlement is a practical way of effectively resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

Proliferation risks and arsenal growth

Lee cited South Korean intelligence assessments showing that North Korea is capable of manufacturing, or may already be producing, between 10 and 20 additional nuclear weapons each year. The expanding stockpile creates an acute risk beyond regional deterrence, as Pyongyang could eventually attempt to sell weapons technology abroad. Donald Trump recently claimed North Korea possesses 57 nuclear weapons, whereas independent experts estimate the arsenal exceeds 100 warheads. Lee warned that once the regime believes it has accumulated sufficient warheads to ensure its survival, economic pressures could incentivize it to export missile and nuclear systems for revenue. Under current conditions, Seoul officials noted, the administration has shifted toward a peace-first framework that seeks coexistence rather than immediate denuclearization.

I believe there is significant value in a trade-off between sanctions -- which are not particularly effective anyway -- and a stop to the development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology.

Weapons tests and diplomatic friction

The diplomatic initiative follows ongoing weapons development and military restructuring by Pyongyang. North Korea has codified nuclear armament into its constitution and discarded its longstanding goal of peninsula reunification. On 22 September 2026, Pyongyang state media announced the test of a short-range ballistic missile carrying a suspected hypersonic glide vehicle, described by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un through KCNA as advanced defense technology essential for state war readiness. Relations between the two countries remain frozen after Kim designated South Korea as the country's most hostile state and reinforced frontline defensive positions. The peninsula technically remains under a wartime status governed by the 1950–1953 armistice, prompting Lee to repeat calls for multilateral negotiations to establish a formal peace treaty.

International alignments at the UN

Lee presents his coexistence framework to international leaders during the UN General Assembly in New York. Washington and Seoul have stated willingness to restart engagement, with Donald Trump pursuing a renewed summit with Kim after previously scaling back joint military exercises. However, international consensus on North Korea's status has fragmented among world powers. In 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the concept of denuclearization had lost all relevance regarding Pyongyang, while China has avoided publicly demanding disarmament. Lee acknowledged concerns that North Korea could take sanctions relief without completing later phases, but maintained that reciprocal incentives remain the only practical mechanism to build mutual trust.